Bound
by grandlarseny
Summary: When Heero woke up next to Relena sporting a brand new pair of handcuffs, he knew it was going to be one of those days.
1. In which a devious plan is concocted

AN: Er, for those of you that got my earliest upload of this chapter, please forgive me. For some reason FFN just didn't like my word documents lol. *THIS* is what it's actually supposed to look like. 

~**_Bound~_**

Prologue

"My friends all tell me go to him,

run to him,

say sweet lovely things to him, and

tell him he's the one.

Deep in my heart I know

but it's so hard to show it

'Cause it's easier

Easier said than done"

-Easier Said than Done by The Essex

"I just don't know how to proceed from here." came the dejected sigh from Maxwell & Schbeiker Salvage Yard vidphone. Hilde tapped her chin in thought.

"I know it sounds crazy, but have you ever considered getting over the Spandexed One?"

"Tried it." Came Relena's immediate response. "It just made things worse." She grinned sheepishly from her Presidential estate in Brussels. Hilde let out a dejected sigh of her own at this disheartening news.

"And you say he hasn't spoken a single word except when absolutely necessary for the past six months?"

Relena nodded slowly. "It's almost like he's putting *effort* into keeping this barrier up. I mean, there was always something keeping us at a distance, but ever since my election it's gotten much worse. I'd have to handcuff him to me now to get him to talk to me." 

"Well," Hilde announced, with an air of self assurance, "I think he's a big jerk, and that he just needs a good seducing to get him to turn around." 

Relena rolled her eyes. "Oh sure, that'd go over *really* well with him. Not."

"It might go over better than you think." Hilde quipped with a wicked grin.

"Hilde! I don't know how Duo doesn't see this side of you!" Relena laughed, her normally serious expression dissolving into one of mirth. 

"He hasn't been around to see it." the black haired girl remarked dryly. Relena wrinkled her nose in a very un-Presidential manner.

"Still locked away in that room?" 

"He's *convinced* that he's got this genius formula to produce a new alloy. 'Stronger than Gundanium' he claims." Hilde gave a short snort. "He's been at it for months now. I see him *maybe* if we run into each other on our way out of the bathroom in the morning."

"Sounds like Heero isn't the only one in need of a good seducing." Relena raised one eyebrow, expression deadpan. 

Hilde was about to open her mouth to give a smart retort when a loud explosion shook the very structure of the building. Hilde grabbed onto a beam to keep her footing as the rumbling swept through the room. She blinked in confusion as tools, sheets of metal, parts, shelves, all came crashing down around her. Quickly as it had come, it died down. The dust settled as a stunned silence permeated the atmosphere. Several minutes had elapsed before an unholy, manic cackling rang out through the unnatural quiet of the compound. Hilde's eyes went wide.

"What was that!?" Relena looked utterly bewildered.

"Relena, I better call you back. I think that bastard finally got it right." 

~*~*~*~*~

"Duo! Duo, are you alive?" Hilde called, waving away a thick mist of foul smelling smoke, pushing various pieces of scrap metal out of her way as she worked towards Duo's self-built lab. 

Suddenly, a monster of legendary proportions emerged from the cloak of blackness; freakish arms outstretched, it's hideous face contorted in a look of terrifying glee as it shuffled toward it's startled prey.

Hilde let out a little shriek before socking the figure in the stomach. It doubled over with a small groan. A familiar, and slightly singed, brown braid swung into view. Hilde sighed in relief, realizing that her attacker was just Duo in his lab gear.

"God dammit, Duo, don't scare me like that! Are you okay?" She bent over him, thumping on his back a little since he seemed to be choking on the smoke worse than she.

"I'm better than okay!" Duo grinned broadly through his pained expression, looking up long enough to shove a slightly blackened ore of a strange silvery metal into Hilde's hand. 

She turned it over, surprised at its' lightness. Experimentally she bent down and tapped it against the concrete floor. It made a clear ringing sound. She shot Duo a questioning look as he straightened. He beamed, his teeth glowing a blinding white in comparison to his soot-darkened face and clothes. Safety goggles were set slightly askew as he plowed a hand through his hair in his excitement.

"Lighter than gundanium, stronger than gundanium, and easier to come by than gundanium. This is gonna replace the metal they use in heavy machinery, babe. We're gonna make a fortune!" 

Hilde turned the alloy over in her hands, slightly awed. "And that explosion just now?" She asked, eyes still glued on the metal rod in her hand.

"I was testing its' strength. I've got it right this time, for sure! The only thing that can make this baby lose its shape is extreme heat and a pretty wicked high-density laser. It's indestructible! They can use this in colony development, construction, new technology. Hell, they'll probably even be making *handcuffs* out of this stuff!" 

Now some say it was fate that prompted Duo Maxwell to list that particular use to his on-again, off-again girlfriend. Others would insist it was merely a bizarre twist of fate that we can never hope to see the likes of again. And there are those that still claim that it was merely a convenient plot device deployed by an author who should learn that speculative narratives can't just pop up any old time. 

But whether it was fate, or a badly concealed plot device, this comment got the wheels in Hilde's head turning. In fact, said wheels practically went into overdrive. Mini Relenas danced across the ex-Oz soldier's vision, as the phrase the young politician had uttered minutes before danced across Hilde's mind. _"I'd have to handcuff him now to get him to talk to me"_

"Handcuffs, huh? Say Duo, what if we could combine this little experiment with your favorite pastime?"

"What does getting the best of Heero have to do with my new alloy?" Duo frowned in confusion.

"I'll tell you in a minute, but how 'bout it? It'll take some work, but if we manage to pull this off, it'll definitely be your greatest prank ever. Not to mention it'll provide a true test for your new alloy." 

The boy blinked once before deciding. A devilish grin of true demonic quality lit Duo's smudged face, all the answer Hilde needed.

"Babe, if it has anything to do with making Heero's life more difficult, I am *always* up for the challenge." 

Hilde flashed her housemate a smile as evil as his own. 'Oh Relena, you don't know what you got yourself into...'

~*~*~*~*~

AN: Here's where I'm gonna list the songs I listened to while writing this chapter ^_^ It shall hereby be known as the "soundtrack." I thought it might be cute for people to see what kind of music was inspiring my writing.

The Soundtrack 

Ghostman by Bush

Land of the Living by Bush (this song's guitar riffs during the verses gave me the whole mood I wanted to set for this story)

Easier Said Than Done by The Essex


	2. In which the devious plan is carried out

**_~Bound~_**

Chapter One

"You put the lime in the coconut and drink them both together

You put the lime in the coconut and then you feel better

Put the lime in the coconut and he drank them both up

Put the lime in the coconut and call me in the morning."

-Lime in the Coconut by The Muppets

"You're in town!?" Relena almost squealed as she excitedly gripped the screen. 

Hilde smiled warmly. "Yep! Duo has a meeting with a sheet metal provider in this area, so we thought we'd come up a few days early and see if we can't distract you from your very important duties for a little while." She winked at her blonde friend.

"You're insane! Can you guys meet me for dinner tonight? I'll even ditch my security." Relena grinned, whispering conspiratorially.

"That's all I ask!" Hilde laughed. "Oh, but Duo won't be joining us tonight. He's got other business."

Relena looked slightly disappointed, but her eyes still shone with happiness. 

"So, you think you could take the week off and go crazy?" Hilde bit her lip, crossing her fingers away from Relena's view. 

This was the most vital part of the plan. If Relena didn't clear her schedule, then they couldn't go forward. 

Relena hesitated for an instant. "Oh what the hell. I don't have anything that can't be rescheduled, right!? Besides, it's not every day you guys make it down from L2!"

Hilde's breath left her in a slight whoosh. She practically beamed at Relena. "Great! So, where to for dinner?"

"I just need to give my secretary some instructions to hold my calls and reschedule this week's meetings. You're lucky missy, this week just happens to be incredibly mundane…soooo let's say 7:30? Cactus Bar and Grill?" Relena suggested.

Hilde smiled. "Perfect."

~*~*~*~*~

Heero eyed the new distraction life had flung his way with great distaste. 

"Come on, Heero, what's it gonna be?"

The figure on the vidscreen pouted slightly, tossing long, glossy hair away from jeweled eyes that were currently flashing with impatience.

Truthfully, Heero had assumed he would never have to deal with this brand of chaos ever again. If he had known it would come back to haunt him he probably would've avoided tempting it from the beginning. But he had been so lonely…

Well, lying, ignoring, insulting, intimidating, and reluctant tolerance hadn't gotten him anywhere. Maybe it was time for…the truth.

"I can't. I have guard dut-…" Heero stopped mid sentence as his charge burst into his office.

"You're off tonight, Heero! I have plans!" Relena grinned breathlessly before slamming his door shut again and racing down the hall.

Heero sat there a minute to absorb what Relena had just said, and the ramifications of it. Slowly, he turned his woeful eyes to the vidscreen currently displaying the unavoidable nuisance.

"Looks like you and me are on tonight, buddy." Duo Maxwell smirked, knowing he had the fellow Gundam pilot backed into a corner.

Heero sighed deeply, regretting the day he ever spoke to Duo Maxwell, unknowingly coaxing the braided idiot into friendship. "So, where are we meeting again?"

~*~*~*~*~*~

Duo turned to the girl next to him as he hung up with Heero.

"Alright, I've got Heero. We meet at the designated spot, and from there drop them off at the hotel. Did Relena clear her schedule for the week?"

Hilde nodded. "That's a big 10-4. Apparently our timing was good. She had only a few meetings that she managed to re-schedule. You have the goods?"

Duo flashed Hilde a confident smile before producing two small envelopes from his pocket. 

"Slip the contents into her drink. Remember, it has to be alcohol or the body won't absorb it properly. She shouldn't be able to taste it. But be sure you get her back to the car before it takes effect. I can carry Heero if he passes out too soon, but you won't be able to handle Relena."

"This is gonna be harder than I thought. Neither Relena or Heero are drinkers." 

"Don't worry, babe, just stick to the plan. I guarantee it'll come through." 

"You realize that if we screw this up, Heero's gonna kill us." Hilde pointed out, a little unsure now that the plan was actually in motion.

Duo snorted. "One thing you need to know about Heero- he's the biggest bluffer I've ever met. I can't tell you how many death threats I've been on the receiving end of."

Hilde smiled before taking her envelope from Duo and walking to her rental car. 

"Remember!" She called back to him, "Eleven o'clock! No flirting with other girls!"

"I know, I know!" Duo waved her off as he got into his own rental car. 

Both drove in opposite directions to meet their targets, neither noticing the forest green eyes that watched them intently from a well-concealed park bench.

'Hm. It seems my services will be needed in the future." 

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Relena!" Hilde waved as she noticed her friend standing timidly outside the restaurant. Her long, and normally loose gold hair was twisted, coiled, and pinned in place by a large, unadorned clip. Sunglasses were perched over her eyes even though it was growing too dark for her to really need them. For extra measure a scarf was draped over her hair, knotted precisely under her chin. 

Despite Relena's precautions, she still looked stunning. If anything, her garb shrouded her in mystery, giving her an enigmatic appeal. Hilde sighed and rolled her eyes. She wondered if Relena knew her efforts to remain inconspicuous were a total waste. There was no way the former princess could go somewhere and not be noticed.

"I haven't been spotted yet." Relena whispered into the shorter girls' ear as Hilde walked over to stand next to her, a note of excited liberation sounding clear.

"I can't imagine why. Relena, you look like a spy out of a James Bond film. Take off those sunglasses." Hilde sighed, almost giggling when Relena seemed to panic. 

"But what if someone notices me!?" Relena whispered frantically, clutching the sunglasses to her eyes.

Hilde laughed. "Trust me, you already stick out like a sore thumb. Losing the shades will *not* make any difference." 

Relena reluctantly relinquished the sunglasses as they both walked into the restaurant, and were seated.

"What may I get you two ladies this evening?" the young waiter asked cheerily, note pad at ready.

Hilde spoke before Relena could. "Vodka! And lots of it!"

The waiter scratched the order down before running off to retrieve the drinks. 

"Vodka? Hilde, is there something going on that you're not telling me?" Relena asked, eyes crinkling at the corners with concern.

Hilde feigned a weary sigh. "You see Relena, the thing is…me and Duo…we're just not…"

~*~*~*~*~

"…doing so well. I mean the magic is gone- the lust, the romance, it's all faded. I feel like I'm old and married or something." Duo lamented to his stoic friend, hoping he'd buy the lie.

"That's very tragic, but I don't seem to recall even asking about you and Hilde. What I *did* ask you however was why the hell you ordered my drink for me. I don't even like tequila." Heero groused, still simmering over the fact that Relena had just run out on him, leaving him without an excuse to avoid Duo. 

'Probably on a date with some guy.' Heero's mood darkened considerably. 

"I'll be blunt with you, Heero. I do. In fact, the only thing I like even *better* than tequila, is a drinking buddy. And that's exactly what I intend for you to be. I have a lot of sorrows to drown tonight." Duo confessed as the waiter set their shots down. 'And if I'm lucky, yours will be included, my friend.' He finished silently. Taking a lick of salt from his palm, the former pilot of Deathsythe grinned widely before hefting his glass up high. "Cheers!" 

*more shots than you want to know later*

"Alright, pretty lady, after this one, you can bring me my bill." Duo slurred a little as he checked out the waitresses' cute butt. 

Noticing the line of his vision, she gave him a warning look before sauntering off.

'Alright,' Duo thought, eyeing Heero's last shot 'let's hope I'm not too shit faced to be able to pull this off.'

He cast one last wistful look at his favorite pants before he deliberately knocked his drink over- straight into his lap. 

"Ah crap! Just my luck. Heero-…"

~*~*~*~*~

"…could you get me some napkins?" Hilde asked innocently.

"Oh my gosh! Sure!" Relena got up a little unsteadily and walked over to the bar, having imbibed more alcohol than she probably should have. 

Hilde glanced around suspiciously before dumping the contents of her envelope into Relena's screwdriver. Using her spoon to stir the drink a few times she had to hope that the contents had dissolved properly as Relena approached the table. Quickly she hid her hands in her lap and directed her gaze towards the potted plant next to them- the same plant she'd been dumping half her drinks in when Relena wasn't looking.

Hilde smiled as Relena sat back down. "Hey! Thanks -…"

~*~*~*~*~

"…a lot Heero I really appreciate it." Duo smiled gratefully at his disgruntled friend as he mopped up the liquid soaking through the material of his trousers. 

Heero shook his head and downed his last shot. Duo tried not to watch him too closely as he swallowed. The spiky-haired boy set the glass down and looked pointedly at his friend. Silence stretched taut between them. Duo felt a lone bead of sweat trickle down his back- did Heero know? Had he been able to detect the drug in his drink?

"Are you gonna pay or not?" He asked, crossing his arms in annoyance.

"Oh! Oh, right! Sorry man, I guess I spaced out." Duo chuckled nervously as a heady burst of relief tore through his system. 

Counting out a few bills, Duo tossed the money on the table (along with a hefty tip for the cute waitress named 'Tina'), and walked out the swinging doors with Heero. Any minute now…

"Ugh. Something's…wrong with me…" Heero commented vaguely before his eyes rolled back in his head. 

Duo leaned over and caught Heero's waist before he could fall. Hefting the slightly smaller man over his shoulder he made his way to the truck, his path weaving a little. 

"Shit." Duo muttered to himself, upon realizing he was a lot drunker than he had expected to be. "Guess I overdid it a bit. Well, can't say I wasn't convincing." He laughed at this as he dumped Heero into the passenger side of the truck. It was gonna be one helluva ride to the rendezvous point. 

~*~*~*~*~

Hilde glanced at her watch in an agitated manner. Duo was twenty minutes late. She pulled fingers roughly through her hair, tugging sharply on the short locks. 

The plan had to go off without a hitch. They weren't dealing with your average people here, it was Relena and Heero! The President of the Earth Sphere Unified Nation and the most-lethal-fucking-person alive, otherwise known as *her bodyguard*! Hilde blew out a frustrated sigh. Of all the times for Duo to be late. Hilde just knew she'd be finding her own way to the hospital once Heero had killed Duo and was finished with her. 

She almost jumped when the pick-up truck pulled into the parking lot. The engine ground to halt as Duo stumbled out of the door, almost tripping as he emerged. 

Anger ignited in Hilde's eyes.

"Heya Hilde!" Duo waved lazily, grinning as Hilde stalked over to him. 

"Duo! You're *drunk*! You drove here *drunk*!" Hilde practically screeched.

"Now Hilde, calm down. I managed to pilot Deathsythe after a run-in with the Zero system. This is just child's play as compared to that." Duo assured her, reaching a hand out to pat her shoulder in a comforting manner. Unfortunately, he miscalculated the direction severely, and ended up with a handful of breast.

Hilde slapped him, and Duo, being toasted as he was, promptly fell on his butt. 

"Now is *definitely* not the time to be groping me. We're half an hour behind schedule. We need to get them to that hotel as fast as we can." 

"Nice thinkin', babe." Duo attempted to give her a 'thumbs up', but got confused and ended up giving her an 'index and pinkie finger up'. 

Hilde rolled her eyes. "I'm not even gonna *wonder* much less *ask* how you managed to drive here safely in the state you're in. It's just your good luck that you know your way around machines better than the inside of our fridge. Go get Heero, we're taking my car, and *I'm* driving. Honestly, just when I need you, what do you do? You go get hammered!" 

"Hilde?"

"What?" Hilde snapped, turning to face her boyfriend still sitting on the pavement. He gave her a dreamy smile.

"I love you." 

The words sank in with the easy gentleness of a jackhammer. Hilde opened her mouth in shock, desperately trying to formulate a response. Upon realizing there was nothing she could possibly say to a drunken declaration of love that she might or might not regret, she shut it quickly. She turned to back to Duo only to realize that he had already loaded Heero into her car in the backseat next to Relena's limp form. 

"What're you doing, slowpoke? I've been waiting like, five minutes!" He called in an infuriatingly playful voice.

Hilde had to strongly repress the urge to bash her head against the lamppost next to her. 

~*~*~*~*~

Sunlight was Heero Yuy's greatest enemy. It reached across an impossible expanse of time and space just to pierce his eyelids in the most painful manner it could conceive. He let out a groan as he felt a strong kick of nausea curl it's way through his stomach. Squinching his eyes closed even tighter he fervently wished that he had never regained consciousness.

'Never again,' he vowed, 'never again will I drink with that paragon of stupidity.'

As he pulled one arm up he heard a soft tinkling before his limb was jerked back by a sudden weight. Heero's eyes shot open as he realized that this was not a normal occurrence. Shooting up in the bed he was rewarded with an instant headache as he took a good look around. The room was unfamiliar, and badly decorated. Hotel. He was in a hotel. He tried to lift his arm again, and was reminded of what had caused him to wake up so abruptly in the first place. 

He looked down at his wrist. Clasped around his wrist was a cuff. Intense blue eyes followed the chain linked to that cuff, finding a twin around a small, feminine hand. His gaze traveled upward to identify the owner of the hand. 

It was Relena Darlian.

He was in bed, handcuffed to Relena Darlian. 

Heero did the only thing he could think of.

He yelled, and he yelled reeeeeal good.

~*~*~*~*~*~

AN: Kids, don't drink and drive. Just because Duo did it doesn't mean it's cool….

Alright, okay, *everything* Duo does is cool, but that still doesn't mean you should be doing it! I mean, after all, you guys don't walk around and proclaim yourself the God of Death do you? Hush up all you Duo-fanatics. My point is, there's a difference between reality and fan fiction.

In fan fiction, convenient alloys get discovered and humans who have consumed far too much alcohol can still drive without wrecking.

In reality, you gotta handcuff 'em the old fashioned way, and you will most likely *not* emerge from a drunk driving session as unscathed as our loveable Duo. 

That being said, please return to you regularly scheduled fan fiction.

The Soundtrack:

Jug Of This (traditional Irish Drinking song)

Miracle by Electrasy

Respect by The Temptations (I think)

Narcolepsy by Third Eye Blind

Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen

Lime in the Coconut by The Muppets (the song I am *convinced* got me through those nasty transitions during the bar scene. Thank god for Kermit ::bows to her Kermit shrine:: )


	3. In which Heero and Relena make a certain...

**_~Bound~_**

Chapter Two

"Isn't it beautiful to see two people so much in love?

Barenaked as two virgins hand in hand, and hand and hand and glove

And now that I'm so far away it doesn't seem to me to be such a pain

To have you hanging off my ankle like some kind of ball and chain."

-Be My Yoko Ono by Barenaked Ladies

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HANDCUFFED TO ME!?" Heero bellowed, causing the pounding in his head to increase twofold. His massive hangover was causing him to react more irrationally than he normally would, Heero realized, and in retrospect came to the conclusion that he probably shouldn't have woke Relena with a shout that could've felled a small building.

Relena shot awake, blinking bleary eyes, squinting at the unexpected interruption. Her eyes widened in surprise when she recognized the interruption as her bodyguard. Slowly, she looked down at her hand, connected to his by a heavy metallic chain. Then she looked back at his face, for good measure. Roughly ten minutes passed in complete silence.

"Oh my god…-" she whispered, horrified.

'Finally,' Heero though in exasperation 'she's going to do some explaining.'

"I'm still drunk." 

Heero was so shocked he lost his precious balance and fell off the bed. Unfortunately, he hadn't taken his current dilemma into consideration, and Relena was pulled down with him via the handcuffs, sending her tumbling towards the carpet. She grunted out a little 'oof' as she landed in an ungraceful heap next to the Perfect Soldier.

"What do you *mean* you're still *drunk*?" Heero hissed around his mouthful of rug. That was just perfect. Now they'd *both* have hangovers. Wait a minute-….

Suddenly, a beam of light broke through the ceiling illuminating Heero as an angel's choir resonated in the background. Clarity and insight into their situation was gained. Birds sang as the pieces came together, enlightenment washing over the former Gundam pilot in a euphoric wave. 

The moment was cut short however, when Heero's nausea congealed into the unmistakable urge to gag. 

"We have to go the bathroom right now." Heero bit out as he climbed hastily to his feet, tugging on the cuffs to get Relena moving.

"What? Bathroom? What are you talking about?!" Relena asked in a voice edged with blind panic. 

"YES. BATHROOM. NOW." Heero was getting desperate. 

"Heero, I don't want to go to the bathroom with you!" Relena's voice no longer held an edge of panic, it was utterly consumed by it. 

"Relena, I'm going to vomit." Heero seethed through clenched teeth.

Relena's mouth formed a little 'o' and in a flash she was up so fast she left Heero's head spinning. Practically dragging the taller man behind her, she tore into the bathroom and thrust him in front of the toilet right in the nick of time. Heero gripped the edges of the bowl for dear life and let go.

Gently, Relena gathered his long bangs away from his face and tried to ignore the retching sounds coming from the man kneeled over the toilet. 

Now, call Relena crazy, but somehow this day wasn't going quite the way she was used to. Normally, she would wake up around seven, shower, dress, grab a simple breakfast and head into the office a few minutes early and begin the day with a smile. 

Today, she woke up intoxicated, handcuffed to her bodyguard in an unfamiliar hotel room, and was currently holding his hair back as he puked up his guts. 

No, something had definitely gone awry between last night and this morning. If only she could remember what it was…But Relena's befuddled mind could recall nothing past leaving the Cactus Grill with Hilde.

Instantly, Relena felt a prick of worry. Whatever had happened, she hoped her spunky friend was faring better. She looked down at Heero, who had apparently finished purging himself. Shaking slightly, he stayed there for a few minutes, taking deep, even breaths. Relena released his bangs as he stood and stalked over to sink, gargling first with water, then downing the complimentary mouthwash and gargling with that. Spitting the sharp tasting liquid out he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Maxwell." He growled. 

Relena shot him a puzzled look. Heero didn't catch it, so intent was he on his murderous thoughts. He knew for certain. This was all *Duo's* fault. That black-clad moron needed to be beaten as much as one could without dying, immediately. Not that he would mind killing Duo, but then he'd lose his job, and it was too important to risk at the moment. This driving thought consuming him, he stomped out of the bathroom, not realizing that Relena was running lightly behind him to keep up.

"Heero." She said as they crossed the room and stopped at the door. Her eyes widened as he started to unlock the door.

_' Must maim Duo, must maim Duo, must maim Duo…'_

"Heero!" She said with more urgency. 

_'Must maim Duo, must maim Duo, must maim Duo!'_

He jerked the door open and started to walk out.

_'MustmaimDuomustmaimDuomustmaimDuo!!!'_

"HEERO!" She yelled before jerking hard on the handcuffs, sending the oblivious man flying back inside the room. She slammed the door closed, leaning against it, hoping no one had noticed.

Heero looked at her as if he had just realized she was there. 

"Why did you stop me? I was just going out to maim Duo."

Relena shot him an angry look. "Looking like this?!" she gestured to her rumpled clothes and tousled hair. "After spending the night handcuffed to your employer who just happens to be the President of the Earth Sphere Unified Nation!? You idiot, the media would have been all over this like grandmothers to a Tickle Me Elmo!" She shouted, clearly furious that he hadn't taken the obvious into consideration.

Heero's eyes widened at her implications. She was right. Everyone would have thought…that she…and him…with handcuffs! Heero looked Relena over. She really *did* look like they had- Heero decided to cut that thought off immediately. 

Relena tossed her bangs out of her eyes and shot him a glare. "Ok, look, I'm sorry I yelled at you. But I *can't* have everyone seeing me this way. What would that say about their leader? I've just been elected, I can't afford to make mistakes like this." She breathed a heavy sigh and sat down, the arm cuffed to Heero awkwardly raised to accommodate the new binding. 

Heero slowly seated himself across from her, eyeing her warily. "So, what do we do?" He asked cautiously.

"I don't know." Relena groaned, dropping her face into her hands. "If this got out, it could completely ruin my whole term. I don't even remember how I got put in this situation in the first place." 

"It was Duo."

Relena's head shot up. "What?"

"Duo went out with me last night. You also went out last night, only with someone else, probably Duo's partner in crime. They must have slipped something in our drinks. I'm assuming the substance required alcohol to metabolize, since Duo doesn't drink heavily often, and from what I've seen, neither do you. From there it was a simple matter of transporting us here and handcuffing us together."

Relena's mouth dropped open in shock. "I was with Hilde last night. But it's impossible that she could've drugged my drink. I was at the table the whole night. Except-"

"-When you went to go get napkins after Hilde spilled her drink on herself?" Heero suggested.

"How did you know that?" Relena gasped.

"Duo did exactly the same thing to me. And he almost never works alone. The only thing that I don't understand is why." Heero stated, eyebrows drawing together in a pondering expression.

Relena's heart pounded as her own words came back to stick their tongues out and 'neener neener' at her. _"I'd have to handcuff him to me now to get him to talk to me." _

A blush stained her cheeks. 'Oh Hilde…you wouldn't.' 

But it all added up. Hilde asking her to clear her schedule for the whole week instead of just catching her after work. The problems with Duo that hadn't seemed apparent up until she wanted a drinking buddy. The reason Duo couldn't come with them to dinner. 

Relena's head spun. When she had said that she'd have to handcuff Heero to her, she didn't mean literally. Relena almost moaned in her misery, but managed to stop herself, aware that Heero didn't know any of this- and she didn't intend to let him. 

"Is something wrong, Relena?" Heero asked, reading her expression far better than he could imagine. His bloodshot eyes narrowed. "You're not starting to get *your* hangover, are you?"

"No. No, I don't usually suffer from hangovers." Relena answered vaguely, mind still racing. The former princess could definitely hold her fair share of liquor, a trait passed down by some unknown gene from some unknown ancestor. All in all, a very handy set of genetics at the moment.

Genetics Heero was insanely jealous of at the moment as he was still feeling as if he could go curl up and die without a care in the world, if not a very strong sense of relief. 

Relena stood suddenly, jerking Heero's unsuspecting arm into a very painful position, causing him to bite off a string of coarse and very un-professional explictives. 

"Alright Heero," She exclaimed, a strong look of determination shining fiercely in her aqua colored eyes, "Here's what we have to do. First, we need to get cleaned up as much as we possibly can. We don't want to look like we've been dancing the horizontal polka all night."

One of Heero's dark eyebrows rose at the colorful terminology.

"Then, we need to find a way to get these handcuffs cut off. Maybe we can go down to a police station, or find a garage and ask a mechanic. If I wear my hair up and my scarf over my hair, they probably won't recognize me." 

Heero followed Relena's suite and stood as well. "In that case, we'll need to run downstairs to the hotel store and pick up a razor, a hairbrush, and two toothbrushes." 

Relena nodded, flung her jacket over their cuffed wrists, and opened the door.

"Alright, we're newlyweds on our honeymoon. Sound convincing?"

"About as convincing as we're gonna get." Heero muttered as he was dragged out the door.

~*~*~*~*~

Twenty minutes later, Heero and Relena were traversing the streets of Victoria, a town about three hours away from Brussels, they had been informed. 

"I can't believe they drove us three hours out of the capitol." Heero mumbled, resettling Relena's sunglasses over his sensitized eyes. 

Relena glanced up at him, looking remarkably mature with her hair up. "Actually, I'm glad we're not directly in Brussels. It's less likely I'll be recognized here." 

"It'd be nice if we knew where the hell we're going, though." Heero shot back, feeling a need to defend himself.

"Look, I don't like this situation anymore than you do, but you have to remember that I didn't have a choice about it anymore than you did." Relena pointed out calmly, completely unruffled by Heero's hostile attitude. 

In truth, the only reasons she was tolerating Heero so well were; 1. He had the hangover from hell and 2. She felt partially responsible for this whole mess. Okay, she felt completely responsible for it. That was the last time she ever made teasing suggestions to Hilde. 

Despite Relena's guilt she still managed a bright smile when she spotted a garage. 

"Look, Heero!" She grinned, pointing to the building proudly proclaiming itself "Butch's Awesome Car Repairs."

Heero made a noncommittal grunt, as he and Relena walked to the building. 

A bell jingled as they walked through the door, and the couple was hit with the strong smell of gasoline and the strains of jazzy oldies blasting on a stereo located in the far corner of the massive room. Relena's heels clicked on the stained concrete floor as she looked around with a fascinated expression.

"This is your first time in an auto repair shop, isn't it?" Heero asked, a hint of disbelief in his expression.

Relena glanced at him a moment over her shoulder and blushed lightly. "Well…I'm usually chauffeured, or Pagan would take it down for me because I would be too busy or something." She intently drank in everything from the various hubcaps mounted on the wall to the pictures of classic cars. A slow smile spread across her face. "I think I like it here."

"Can I help you?" A deep voice sounded behind them. 

Relena jumped and spun around, while Heero just jammed his free hand in his pocket and shot the man his usual glare, not realizing that the impact of it was somewhat hindered by the sunglasses. A tallish man with long hair confined in a ponytail was wiping his hands on a clean rag, his warm brown eyes smiling in a way that made the receiver of his gaze feel instantly relaxed. 

"Well you see…this is going to sound odd. *Really* odd." Relena bit her lip, clearly unsure how to pose this request. 

The man grinned and plucked a wrench from one of his overall pockets, twirling it expertly. 

"Honey, allow me to introduce myself. I'm Elvis, Butch's younger half brother. You might think my name's unusual. I'll tell you how I got it. The night of my conception my mother claims she was trying to sleep when The King was beamed into her room. They had a little tussle and then my Momma says that he returned to his home planet. Nine months later, when I was born, she said she received instructions from his mother ship to name me after my sire. 

"From there, my life has only gotten weirder. I've been struck by lightening twice; I have had the power go out on me every time I've tried to watch "I'm Singing In the Rain". I once threw a ring from a lost love into the ocean only to find it in the fish I was eating three days later. I've had the tea leaves in the bottom of my cup clearly spell out the word "MORON" and at one point have been legally married to a goat named Bernice."

Relena stared at him blankly. Even Heero was giving him an incredulous stare.

"So, what was it that you said was going to sound odd?" He asked, his brown eyes twinkling.

The blonde appeared to be contemplating something. She tilted her head to one side in an inquiring manner. "Can you keep a secret, Elvis?"

"For you? Sure, honey." He winked. 

Relena caught Heero's eye for a moment before nodding. 

Slowly she reached up and pulled off the scarf and clip, letting her long honey-blonde hair flow loose. Heero, too, reached up and removed his sunglasses.

Despite Elvis's history in the bizarre and unusual, he couldn't help but let his surprise show. It wasn't every day he had a political figure of great importance in his humble shop, much less one that was bona fide royalty. And standing next to her was one of the five men attributed the accomplishment of saving the world. 

"Whoa." Elvis remarked intelligently. 

"It gets weirder." Relena assured him, and lifted up the jacket that she had been holding in her right hand, revealing a shiny new pair of handcuffs.

"You weren't kidding when you said this was gonna be odd, were you?"

The young President raised a delicate eyebrow before replying. 

"I was told at the age of fifteen that the man who had been raising me my whole life was not my biological father and that I was actually heir to the throne of a pacifist nation. I have been the only crowned Queen of the World in history of the planet. I have a long-lost brother that attempted to blow up the Earth in order to attain World Peace. I have received more death threats from my bodyguard than any other known person in the world. I am the youngest politician ever to obtain the status of President in any country ever in recorded history. Despite all these monumental accomplishments, I have never made it to second base. And today, I woke up to find that I had been drugged and handcuffed to a former Gundam pilot." Relena grinned impishly. "So no, I wasn't kidding at all. Can you help us?"

Elvis scratched the back of his head in a very Duo-ish manner. "Well, when you put it that way, I don't think I can refuse. Let's go get some chain cutters."

~*~*~*~*~*~

AN: Relena's first line in this chapter is actually a direct quote from my older brother uttered several years ago upon receiving a call from my mother informing him that my great grandmother had passed away. Respect for your elders is a beautiful thing. I am utterly convinced the Tickle Me Elmo fad came back in AC 198 and that The King will live on in infamy forever. I currently know no one named 'Butch'. Thank you.

The Soundtrack

End of the World by REM

All For You by Sister Hazel

Right Now by SR 71

Elevation by U2

Mamboleo by Elissa 

Cuzco's Song from the Emperor's New Groove Soundtrack

She Drives Me Crazy by Fine Young Cannibals

You Sexy Thing by Hot Chocolate (this is the song I always imagine playing in the garage)

Be My Yoko Ono by Barenaked Ladies


	4. In which the complications arise

AN: Thank you everyone for reading thus far! I'm so glad you all are enjoying it. 

****

**_~Bound~_**

Chapter Three

" 'Cause you're a god

And I am not

And I just thought

That you would know

You're a god

And I am not

And I just thought

I'd let you go"

-Vertical Horizon "You're a God"

Elvis stared dully at the third toothless saw he had made in the past hour. Around him were strewn the debris of once-great tools, now reduced to bent and broken shadows of their former glory. No matter what he tried, chain cutters, blowtorch and chisel, hammer, chainsaws, *nothing* could withstand those handcuffs. 

Relena made a distressed noise and delicately avoided the instruments strewn about her feet, not to mention several bladed saw-teeth that had been severed in their quest to vanquish the handcuffs. 

"Why isn't anything working?" She wondered out loud, shaking her head a bit, her hair clipped up and covered once more.

"Whatever metal those things are made of- well I've never seen anything like it. You're gonna have to go get it analyzed by someone a little more educated than me."

"Wait, what did you say?" Relena looked distraught, her whole frame tensing.

"I don't think I can do anything. You're gonna have to fi-..."

"No," Relena cut him off, "Before that." 

Elvis shot her a confused look. "I said that whatever metal this is made of, it's not like any I've ever seen."

"Oh my god." Relena moaned, mortified, as the last pieces of the puzzle fell into place, the cute little click accompanying it ringing like a death toll. 

"What? Relena, what!?" Heero looked concerned. 

'Well that's fine…he should be.' Was Relena's dismal internal response.

"I know what this metal is." She answered, hardly daring to look Heero in the eye.

"You do!?" Heero cried, barely able to believe their luck.

"Yes. It's the new alloy Duo was working on." 

"Well, how do we cut it!? What are the properties!?

"I don't know! All they told me was.." Here, Relena faltered. Taking a breath and mentally reminding herself that Heero wouldn't blame her for this, she choked out the last bit. "…that it's even stronger than gundanium." 

Heero's stony silence came like a chilly blast from beside her.

"So that's what their motivation was." He said, voice low and menacing.

"Hilde told me that she and Duo were in the area to meet with a sheet metal provider. They're using us as guinea pigs to test it!" Before Relena had felt guilty. Now she was fuming. To be *exploited* like this. 

Mentally, she berated herself. She trusted Duo and Hilde more than that. There must have been another reason for handcuffing her to Heero, other than a test for their brain child and a good laugh at her expense. She just didn't know what it was…

Elvis quietly observed the pair. Outwardly they didn't seem too happy about being handcuffed together but…there was something else there that made him think twice about it. After all, he wasn't witness and participant in lifetime of bizarre experiences without developing some sense of intuition. 

He frowned at the explanation Relena offered though. "That's a weird way of testing an alloy. There are cheaper, more accurate tests that technology researchers will administer free of charge. Seems kinda fishy that they'd go through all this trouble for a simple test."

"He's Duo. All logical explanations end there. Its no use even trying to reason- you'll be wrong in the end anyway." Heero nodded confidently.

Relena blushed and averted her eyes, trying to forget the little piece of information she had purposefully omitted when informing Heero of Hilde and Duo's motivation- her little harmless comment. Harmless. That was a good one. 

Elvis's expression lightened. "Well, in any case, we still have one more option left!"

Heero and Relena's heads jerked up, their rapt attention focused on the mechanic.

"What you need to do is find whoever made these things, and get the key."

"The-"

"Key?" Relena and Heero echoed quietly.

"If all we need is the key, can't we just pick the lock!?" Relena asked, excitement rippling off of her.

Elvis looked at her with owl eyes. "That's brilliant! Why didn't *I* think of that one!"

Heero looked skeptical. Duo forgetting that they could do something as simple as pick the cuff lock? It wasn't likely. Still, it was worth a try. 

Elvis ran into the back room and emerged triumphantly, carrying a ballpoint pen, and a tiny flat piece of metal.

"You know how to pick locks?" Heero asked, a disbelieving eyebrow raised high and proud.

Elvis grinned. "I won't know until I try, now will I?" 

Heero gave him an uneasy look, but offered his wrist for the attempt.

Elvis turned off the music that had been filtering pleasantly throughout the garage and focused all his concentration on the task before him. He would need it absolutely silent to know if the pins were sliding into place.

Breaking the clip off of his ballpoint pen he bent it at a ninety-degree angle.

Relena oo-ed an ah-ed at his resourcefulness.

He slide the improvised tension wrench inside the lock and then the make-do pick. Slowly, he felt around for the first pin. A thrill of exhilaration shot down his nerve endings as he heard it click into place on the shear line. 

"Now I gotta apply torque." He explained to the curious Relena and turned the ballpoint clip a little. 

Unfortunately, in his eagerness, he turned too hard. The clip immediately broke off. Elvis stared at the tiny nub of the "wrench" in his hands. 

"Oh, fuck me." He breathed, barely able to believe he had just done something so monumentally stupid.

"You've just screwed us over just a *little* more than we already are, didn't you?" Heero asked, expression void of any emotion except certainty.

Elvis had the good grace to look sheepish. "I forgot how strong this metal is. Snapped my little pen clip clear off. Effectively…jamming that lock."

Heero shot Elvis his "I'm not impressed nor amused" glare.

"Hey, look at the bright side! You've still got one more!" Elvis grinned sheepishly, an uneasy foreboding pooling in the pit of his stomach. Luckily, Relena broke the tension building between the two men.

"Thank you for trying anyway, Elvis." Relena stepped in, ever the mediator.

"Well sure, I'm just sorry that all I did was make it worse." Elvis shot the girl an apologetic glance.

"We could go to a professional locksmith." Relena suggested.

Heero shook his head. "That's not going to work."

"Why?" the young politician huffed, losing patience with the situation.

"Duo is a master lock-picker. He would definitely have known we would try to take that avenue. He probably had a double locking system or something even more complicated installed. And considering the strength of this metal, I'm not sure normal lock-picking tools would do much good anyway." Heero reasoned.

"Well then what do we do?" Relena's shoulders slumped in dejection.

"We gotta find Howard. He's a genius with metal. He'll know what will get these cuffs off."

"Or we could just find Duo and get the key back from him." Relena pointed out, attempting to cross her arms but failing miserably when it became apparent that Heero wouldn't give her the slack to do so.

Zero's former pilot shot her a long-suffering scowl. "Do you honestly think that Duo would be easily found now that he's royally pissed us both off? He was our expert in stealth and concealment. He knew how to get the things he wanted without leaving his tracks behind."

Relena heaved a deep sigh and pouted. "Alright, Howard it is then. But we need to get started right away. If I know anything about the former Gundam team, it's that they're never easy to find. It'll probably take a few days."

She turned to Elvis, offering him a small smile. "What do we owe you?" She asked reaching into her purse.

"Nothing, honey. This one's on the house." Elvis winked and then leaned in closer. "But a word of advice. When you pack for your trip, go strapless."

"Excuse me?" Relena's expression was blank.

"Well, unless you think that big guy next to you will fit through your right sleeve, you're gonna have to. There's no way that arm will be able to get anything over it."

Shock washed over Relena. Elvis was right, she wouldn't be able to wear anything with straps. In fact- she'd have to go clothes shopping! She gulped and eyed Heero uncertainly, all the color draining from her face. But there was a reason for the blonde's seemingly irrational reaction to this bit of news.

Relena Darlian had had a total of two re-occurring nightmares in the course of her life.

The first always began with her, trapped in a cage, in a zoo. People would stand in front of the cage and start clapping. The zoo keeper- who bore more than a passing resemblance to her adoptive father- would come up and plop a crown on her head. She'd then ask him what was going on and he would shrug and reply, "You figure it out."

Her second re-occurring nightmare was far simpler than the first. In it, she was shopping for underwear. Naked. With Heero Yuy.

"Come on," Heero muttered, tugging on the handcuffs, "Let's go buy some clothes."

Relena was dragged mutely out of 'Butch's Awesome Car Repairs' before she could even blink. 

~*~*~*~*~

**~**Seven tube tops, eight pairs of pants, two duffel bags, various toiletries, two skirts, five tank tops, and seven pairs of boxers later~

'Alright, girl, hang in there. You've gotten through it ok so far. You can do it…' Relena gave herself a mental pep talk as they headed towards the women's underwear department. 'Just…make some small talk…'

"So, Heero, why did you get tank tops when you know we can't wear anything with sleeves?" Relena's voice sounded strained as she fiddled with the jacket slung over the handcuffs to conceal them. 

Heero shot the girl trudging behind him a puzzled look before replying. "I'll just have to cut the left strap and then sew it back once it's over my shoulder. It's fairly simple." 

"Oh." She squeaked. The rows of frilly under things loomed large and intimidating before her. She shrunk back from them, a little surprised at how fast they managed to sneak up on her.

"Here we are." Heero announced, rather unenthused, "Go pick out your woman's things."

Relena stood stalk still staring at the rows and rows of underwear. A bead of sweat trickled down her spine as she audibly gulped. In the next moment she was tearing through the isles, snatching bras and panties, anything she could find, and tossing them at Heero. Anything to get her out of there faster.

"Relena." Heero said with a deadly calm, "Are you looking at what you're picking up?"

"Of course I am." Relena snapped, squeezing her eyes shut, trying to ignore the furious pounding of her heart.

"Then why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?" Came Heero's dry inquiry.

Relena stopped dead in her tracks, ignoring the solid bump of Heero's body as it ran into hers. Tentatively, she cast a fearful glance over her shoulder. Among the many scraps of lace in Heero's arms was a neon green nursing bra, proudly draped over his right wrist. Relena slumped, the dreaded knowledge that she'd have to spend longer than she wished in the women's underwear department thumping dully in her head. She closed her eyes against the uneasiness welling up inside her. 

"Are you embarrassed to be underwear shopping with me?" Heero sounded amazed. 

Relena felt her heart jump in her throat at that question.

"Embarrassed is not the word." she grumbled. And it was true. 

She wasn't embarrassed- she was terrified. And she'd be damned if she knew exactly why that was. She'd just felt so human in that dream. So flawed. And in front of Heero. And for some reason, she couldn't forget that feeling, and discard the nightmare. What if being handcuffed to Heero forced her to learn the truth- and her fears came true. Did he really like her better as a politician than a person? How could she live with that reality?  If she had just kept her mouth shut, Hilde wouldn't have had this idiotic idea and she wouldn't be in this situation in the first place. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. It was just a stupid dream. And these were just a stupid pair of handcuffs.

"Relena." Heero dumped the garments on the floor in favor of settling his hands on her shoulders.

Slowly Relena raised her eyes to meet his, surprised by the gentle expression softening the planes of his face. 

"It's okay. We're both mature adults. We can handle this." He smiled softly. 

Her heart was pounding for an entirely different reason now. Somehow, Relena got the impression that he wasn't just talking about underwear shopping. Looking into his rich blue eyes, bloodshot though they were, she felt something move inside her. Despite the fact that he was obviously miserable, he was still trying to help her. Slowly, she found herself returning his smile. Underwear shopping with him…wouldn't be so bad.

"You're right. We'll get through this. Ok." She took a deep breath and stood up, arm raised in a triumphant stance. "Let's go buy some underwear!"

~*~*~*~*~

Relena's enthusiasm was severely lagging thirty-six hours later when she stumbled into their motel room on L2. Within fifteen minutes of leaving the clothing store Heero had hailed a cab to the spaceport, then immediately booked the next shuttle to the colony Howard and his Sweepers were last rumored to be seen. So far she hadn't gotten a wink of sleep. She eyed the bed with longing, but there was something she wanted worse than sweet unconsciousness.

Relena dug briefly through her duffle bag, gathering a few essential items before making a beeline for the bathroom, kicking off her shoes as she went.

"Again?" Heero sighed in exasperation, "You already went twice on the shuttle!"

"I don't need to go to the bathroom." Relena said, "I just want to take a shower!"

Heero's heels dug into the carpet unexpectedly. Relena strained against the handcuffs. "What?" He yelped, clearly surprised. He stubbornly stayed rooted to his spot, despite Relena's insistent pulling. 

"It's been almost three days since my last one. I am *dying* here!" Relena lamented, voice full of woe. She shot him her most pathetic look. "Please Heero?" 

He knew then that he didn't stand a snow cone's chance in hell, but still he didn't move. 

"But…what about…" Heero gestured wildly at the handcuffs still requiring them to be within ten inches of the other. 

"Just don't peek, and I'll live. We're both mature adults remember? You said it yourself." Relena threw back, absolutely determined to get herself clean. 

'Famous last words, Yuy.' Heero deflated, letting himself be led to the bathroom, but still had the heart to glare at his tormenter's back the whole way.

Once Relena had settled her pajamas and toiletries in the bathroom she handed Heero a pair of scissors. He took them, sending her an evil glower from underneath the shadows of his bangs. His message was loud and clear. HEERO. YUY. IS. NOT. PLEASED. 

Relena had to fight against herself to resist the impulse to tweak his nose. 

"Cut me out." She demanded when he made no move to do anything with the scissors. 

Heero complied, though reluctantly, cutting Relena's right arm sleeve, right through her bra strap, straight to the neckline. He steeled himself for what he knew was coming next.

"Now close your eyes." She instructed patiently.

Heero obliged her very willingly. Suddenly, the bathroom was too closed in, the rustling of cloth seeming to scream in his ears. Taking deep, calming breaths he assured himself that he wasn't *really* in the bathroom with Relena while she was showering, that this was just another one of his dreams, and one that would NEVER. COME. TRUE. 

Unexpectedly, he felt hands on his chest, pushing him towards the toilet, shattering all his feeble attempts at denial.

"You're gonna have to sit here while I'm washing." 

Her voice sounded very close. Too close. What had he just been saying about the bathroom feeling too cramped? The hands lifted from his shoulders as he thumped down on the toilet. He heard her turn the nozzle and the hiss of water, and knew that she had to be standing right next to him, utterly and completely nude. A shiver shot down his spine. 

Relena stepped into the tiled bath, hot water rushing over her in a comforting manner that she had sorely missed. She let out a little moan of contentment as she felt her tired muscles relax against the soothing warmth, unknowingly causing her bodyguard to stiffen and redouble all his efforts at visualizing a sunlit field. 

After she was well into the shower, however, a new dilemma hit Relena. She could wash and shave with her left hand, but there was a task that required *both* her hands.

"Heero, I need to use both hands to shampoo my hair." Relena called to him, tentatively. There was a moment's pause as she waited for his response.

"Alright." His voice sounded thick and gruff. 

For the most part Heero had been attempting to keep words like "glistening", "wet" and "bare" from his vocabulary and a certain unclothed diplomat from his thoughts for the duration of the shower. Despite his gender and the astonishing amount of sexual tension he had been building over the years, he was doing well. 

All that stopped the instant his knuckles grazed over slick skin as Relena lifted her hands to lather, rinse and repeat. Heero felt the words he promised not to even consider crash back into his awareness and the certain unclothed diplomat pranced across his mind, scenarios that would make a sailor blush playing across his mind.

In a desperate attempt to avoid giving into temptation and jumping in the shower with Relena, probably causing a very awkward scene in the process, he resorted to survival tactics- he pictured the bloodiest, gruesome, most horrific things he could possibly imagine. It was a shot in the dark, but it was all he had left, dammit!

The sudsy strands of Relena's hair sliding over his fingers as she worked the shampoo in were not working in Heero's favor. His meditation on the finer points of decapitation wavered as he swallowed hard, cursing the steam for making it so hard to breath. If Relena would just stop being so damned *naked* this shower ordeal would be a whole lot easier for him to cope with. 

In the next instant his hand dropped, Relena's task apparently over. Heero would've breathed a sigh of relief if he still didn't feel so on edge.

"Alright, Heero, I'm getting out now." Relena said. "Do you want a shower, too?"

Heero tried to imagine how much of a mess he'd be if he decided to take a shower now, knowing Relena was a mere ten inches away. "I'll take one tomorrow." He replied weakly.

"Suit yourself, stinky. Close your eyes."

His heard pounded as he heard her step out and grab a towel. Against all his orders, his eyes opened and his face turned upwards. A man's subconscious will could only take so much, after all.

He both thanked and cursed God for making motel towels so tiny. Relena stood frozen, dripping hair slicked back, her wide, clear eyes breathtaking and startled. She barely had all her essentials covered, leaving plenty of glistening, flawless skin for Heero's eager eyes to drink in. The color of her hair was darkened to a burnished bronze, the tresses clinging and contrasting to the pale skin that covered the graceful slopes of her shoulder and upper back. His gaze traced the line of her throat to delicate collarbones, skipping down to admire long, slender legs that disappeared under white terrycloth. Quietly, he studied the curves hidden from his view constantly. Until now. 

She was absolutely beautiful. 

And she would never be his. 

Heero blinked and forced himself to look away. He stood and walked out of the bathroom. Relena was forced to follow for a few steps when the links of the handcuffs pulled taut. Slowly, he reached out and shut the door. In the crack left open to accommodate the chain she saw Heero's back.

"Heero?" Relena was clearly bewildered.

"Get dressed." He growled.

She bit her lip. Whatever had been opened up to her at the clothing store had been closed again. Heero was back in his 'bodyguard' role. She resolved to forget about her moody companion and get some sleep as she pulled on her pajamas and grabbed the hotel hairdryer. Meeting her own cerulean eyes in the mirror, she flipped the switch and sighed. 

~*~*~*~*~*~

Duo cackled to himself as he entered the room with the take-out he and Hilde had ordered. So far, no Heero-barging-in-waving-his-gun-around-like activities. This was a very, very good sign. 

'Not that he'd be able to find the God of Death when he doesn't want to be found.' Duo smirked, closing the door behind him. 

He looked up expecting to see Hilde watching TV.

Instead he saw her sitting in a chair next to possibly the most elusive of the Gundam pilots. Trowa's green eyes gleamed beneath his distinctive wheat colored bangs.

"Trowa!" Duo shouted, throwing his arms out to embrace his reserved friend.

He stopped, letting the grim smile he had been holding back surface when he felt the press of Trowa's gun to his temple. 

"Duo, Trowa wants to have a talk with us." Hilde smiled, acting for all the world as if she didn't notice that her boyfriend had a loaded gun to his head.

"You know about the handcuffs, don't you Tro?" Duo asked, already knowing that the answer to that question was 'yes'.

Trowa, seeing that Duo had no intentions of running or resisting, holstered his weapon. "It's a good prank, Duo, but I can't let it continue.

"It wasn't just a prank." Duo argued, "It was for his own good. Hilde told me he had barely spoken to Relena since her election. He doesn't realize how close he is to losing her!"

"That may be true," Trowa countered, "But, this isn't our place to intervene. It's up to Heero to accept his feelings for her himself. If we force him to, then it will lose its' meaning."

Duo felt his anger die down and scratched his head in annoyance. "Damn, I didn't think of it that way. I just wanted to help the guy out."

Trowa bestowed Duo with one of his rare smiles. "I know, my friend. But this isn't the way to do it. Give me the key. I will deliver it to Heero."

Duo sighed deeply and fished a tiny silver key from his shirt pocket. "I don't know when you got so damn smart, Trowa, but…thanks. For thinking enough for both of us." He grinned as he pressed the key into Trowa's outstretched palm.

"If it helps, I know how you feel. I, too, wish Heero would just bite the bullet and tell her. It's frustrating to watch him fumble his way through this." Trowa's tone held the hint of aggravation. 

Hilde smiled. "Well, I suppose we can't hope that he's declared anything to Relena yet, but perhaps he's learned a few things."

Trowa nodded slowly, and without another word, walked out of the room.

"Well, babe, it was a fun thing while it lasted." Duo tossed her a wistful grin.

"Look on the bright side, Duo. This is still the best prank you've ever pulled on Yuy." Hilde pointed out.

Duo allowed himself a self-satisfied smile. "You're right. Even if I didn't get Mr. Emotional Constipation to say the words, I'll still go down in history. Damned if I don't." Duo laughed a little and puffed out his chest. "Not to mention Wrought Iron INC will jump all over this once they get my final report back."

Hilde rolled her eyes and grabbed the take-out. "Alright, come on, I'm hungry and you've done more than enough gloating these past few days."

Duo immediately forgot all about Heero and Relena and handcuffs at the prospect of good food and good company. 

~*~*~*~*~

AN: Yes, I actually researched how to pick handcuff locks. I can't promise I'm one hundred percent accurate, but I did the best I could! I'm up for any guesses as to the symbolism behind Relena's two nightmares ^_~ I'll let you know what I intended them to mean in the next chapter. 

In this chapter we get a teensy bit more serious as we see Heero and Relena's insecurities about each other come closer to the surface thanks to their circumstance. By the way, that last sentence is a clue to interpreting Relena's second dream! 

The Soundtrack:

Ayeyaiyai [Alpha Song] by Power Jet

Testosterone by Bush

Tubthumping by Chumbawamba

Desire by U2

She Drives Me Crazy by Fine Young Cannibals

Faith by George Michael

When Love Comes to Town by U2

Little Black Backpack by Stroke Nine

You're a God by Vertical Horizon


	5. In which the search commences, and Relen...

AN: First off, wow! You guys liked Elvis so much! Lol! I was never anticipating such a positive response to him ^_^ Heck, I wasn't anticipating *any* response to him! ^_~ But I'm glad you embraced him- out of all the original characters I've ever invented, he was my favorite, by far. Hopefully he'll be appearing in some of my other fics in the future. What can I say, I've gotten fond of the guy ^_~

Secondly, in response to a review I received, this fic is strictly 1xR. I guess I should've mentioned that in the beginning, but it had just seemed so obvious to me that I assumed everyone else would pick up on it as well. I'm sorry if that disappoints you, but I wrote this fic with the intention of keeping it non-yaoi, and I'm going to be sticking to it. I respect the fact that you took the time to give me input, however, and I appreciate your effort. Hopefully you'll still be able to enjoy my story despite the fact that it doesn't showcase your favorite couple.

Alrighty, I talk too much (don't believe me? Check out the AN at the end -_-;;;;) so feel free to ignore me whenever LOL! To the fic!__

_~Bound~_

Chapter Four

"R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Find out what it means to me

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Take care, E-C-T"

-Respect by Aretha Franklin

Relena Darlian had been chained to a machine. Of this, she was utterly convinced. Heero had hardly spoken, hardly eaten, hardly slept, for the past two days they had been on L2. What he *did* do was search. Constantly. Relentlessly. 

Without the novelty of his laptop, he was forced to do it all on foot. 

Relena cursed the fact that she hadn't had the foresight to buy sneakers. 

Inwardly, she was slightly hurt and more than a little annoyed. Guilt be damned, no slip of the tongue was worth this torture. Was she really so bad that Heero had to run himself ragged looking for a way to escape her? He'd probably be even colder if he discovered her role in the whole fiasco. She cast her eyes downward, studying the gravel on the sidewalks as they flew by. If she was being honest with herself, she hadn't really minded being handcuffed while Heero had still been acting human. She had been worried about the media, yes, but the situation itself was only mildly annoying. If only he hadn't gotten angry with her. And she didn't even know what she had done.

She spared a glance at her bodyguard. They had methodically been visiting each garage in colony, asking about past transactions or rumors. So far, they had turned up nothing and Relena was getting short on time. She would be expected to be in the office in just a few days. Maybe it was for the best that Heero was rushing. 

They entered the tenth garage for that day. Heero immediately stalked to the back, Relena struggling to keep up. He barged through the door labeled "Manager". 

"Uh…hi, what can I do ya for?" a young man with sharp features greeted them rather awkwardly.

Relena marveled at the clash of bubblegum pink and banana yellow of the man's polka dotted shirt as Heero did the grilling. 

"We're looking for a man."

"Well, that sure narrows it down." The manager grinned, getting a kick out of his own joke.

Heero displayed his best menacing scowl. He meant business.

"His name is Howard. He works for the Sweepers and owns a ship called Peacemillion 2: The Great and Sexcellent." 

No matter how many times Relena had heard Heero recite the name of Howard's new ship, she still couldn't help the embarrassed cringe that always seemed to surface.

The man sitting at the desk gave him a suspicious look. "Who are you and what do you want with my father?"

"Your father?!" Relena choked on the unfamiliar concept. The man beside her was apparently having as much trouble accepting this as she.

"Howard has *children*!?" Heero gaped in disgusted amazement, the first sign of any emotion he had displayed in the past forty-eight hours barring impatience and surliness.

"Well, if he doesn't, then I don't know what the hell I'm doing here." The young manager had switched from suspicious to distinctly annoyed. 

"That explains your fashion sense." Heero remarked almost as an afterthought. 

"What did you-"

Relena hastily intervened. 

"Ah, what Heero said was that explains your…uhm …PASSION VENTS!" She winced as she desperately tried to cover up her bodyguard's unintentional insult.

"Passion vents?" Howard's son echoed, frowning. 

Relena made a mental note to strangle Heero after this ordeal was over.

"Yes! Passion vents! They were…erm…on Howard's ship. I've never seen them anywhere else, except here. And that makes sense. Because you're Howard's son. So he would have given you the deals…on passion vents…" Relena felt the sting of defeat as she trailed off.

The manager shrugged. "Beats me, Dad was the one that built this place. I just manage it."

She almost collapsed in relief. He had bought it. Heero gave her a quizzical look. 

"Can you tell us where your father is right now?" Relena asked, voice laden with hope. 

"Listen, I don't tell anyone where my Dad is, even if they are uncommonly pretty." He gave her a roguish grin and went back to his paperwork.

Relena was so intent on blushing she missed Heero's posture go from passive to menacing. 

"Please", She begged, capturing the man's attention once more, "We know him from the war, and we have a very big problem we need his help with. I know you don't know us, but please trust our good intentions."

No one could resist a Peacecraft's pout. Just ask Lucrezia Noin. She's pregnant with her third child. 

Howard's son sighed as he, too, gave in to the power of the pout. "Alright, alright. Let me go print out the coordinates he left me. Never could turn away any of Dad's friends." 

Heero suspected that it had more to do with his libido than his respect for his father's amigos. He glowered as the man left the room before he turned to Relena.

"What the hell was that all about?" He asked, his irritation at the man re-directed at her.

She glared at him, anger inflating at his tone. "I was saving our butts, that's what!"

"I had everything under control, if you had just let me-"

"Heero, people don't *help* you when they've just been insulted." Relena's voice was tense, the strain of keeping her anger in check obvious. 

"Duo does." Heero pointed out obstinately. 

"Duo was also the one that *handcuffed us together*. I think all of his behaviors are null and void for any further support in arguments." She bit out. 

Heero opened his mouth to argue, realized that he was debating with one of the best politicians in the world, and quickly shut it. Howard's unnamed son swept back into the office, a few papers clutched in his slender fingers. 

"This is the most recent communication I received from him. He was a few hours from L2. I hope it helps." He said, while eyeing the expanse of exposed flesh left by Relena's tube top.

She smiled and took the papers with her left hand, right hand still clutching the concealing jacket over the handcuffs. "Thank you, I know it will be." 

With that expression of gratitude she turned on heel and walked out, not even sparing a backwards glance for the man chained to her or the manager. Heero barely had time to give the manager an aggressive growl before he was pulled in tow of the women ahead of him. 

"Y'know, boss, there was something funny about her." One mechanic commented lazily as his superior stared wistfully at the departing figures. 

"What do you mean?" Howard's son asked.

"I just mean, the ways they was standin' so close an' all. And that jacket- she hung on to it for dear life. Then jest now that man looked almost as if he wus *pulled* after her. There's something fishy going on."

"Well you've got right. Do you know who that woman and that man were?"

"Naw, man." The mechanic rubbed his greasy hands on his coveralls.

"That was President Darlian and her bodyguard, Heero Yuy." Howard's son smiled softly, eyes going back to the exit just as they walked out.

"No kiddin'!? Why did yew act like yew didn't even know them!?"

"I'm sure the President wouldn't want anyone knowing that she was on the L2 colony. Besides, I wanted to get to know the people behind the titles. They both have good hearts."

The mechanic smiled lopsidedly. "Gee, boss, you sure are good at figurin' people out."

"It *is* my specialty. I don't like that Heero guy, though. He's coarse, rude, and has terrible judgment. I happen to think my fashion sense is impeccable." The manager sniffed disdainfully. 

His mechanic coughed delicately and went back to whistling and polishing his oily tools without comment. 

~*~*~*~*~*~

Now that Heero and Relena had obtained Howard's location it was just a matter of finding transport and getting there.

Which was far more difficult than it sounded. L2 was, by far, more under-funded than any of the other colonies, making its transportation businesses questionable, at best.  As they stood in the filthy, teeming spaceport Relena had an unmistakable sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. They wouldn't be getting a fair price here. All of the providers she could find seemed underhanded and shady- and those were the ones that looked *good*. And it didn't help that Heero's idea of bargaining was as follows.

"I won't part with it for at *least* X amount of dollars." 

"I bet you wouldn't want to part with any of your fingers, either."

Needless to say, they might have been there a while, but they didn't get far.

"I swear, Heero." Relena complained, "You have no people skills what-so-ever. Let me handle the next guy." 

Relena didn't do much better than Heero. She never counted on the fact that the ship merchants would be more inept at bargaining than Heero. All the exchanges she managed to have went somewhere along these lines-

"How about you show me what's under that pretty little top of yours and I'll knock a few bucks off."

"How about she doesn't and I knock a few of your *limbs* off."

Relena was rapidly beginning to give up all hope of ever getting off L2. That's when she saw it- a ray of sunshine in the dark churning sea of testosterone that was transport providers. A *female*.

Dragging Heero behind her, she raced to the woman's small shop, flinging herself through the doorway.

"Can I help you?" The woman asked, riots of wheat-colored curls haphazardly tamed by a well-worn ponytail holder. 

"We…need…transport…" Relena gasped, an aura of complete desperation radiating off her.

"For how many people?" She asked casually, eyeing the blonde girl with a sort of gross fascination.

This was the first time in a good two hours the reply to Relena's request hadn't been a come-on. She held back tears.

"Two," She choked out, overcome with gratitude. 

"Alright. I'll do my best, but this may set you back a bit." She stated, clicking through her computer to find Relena an available ship. 

The tears Relena had been so valiantly trying to hinder slipped down her cheeks as she praised whatever higher being there was for women. 

Heero bristled at the woman's comment, however. "Unless you want *me* to set *you* back a bit, you'll-…"

Relena slammed her hand over Heero's mouth and turned her attention to the stunned woman.

"Whatever it costs, we'll take it." She sobbed. 

Within the hour they were on-board a small spacecraft and ready for departure.

"Thanks for standing up for me all those times, Heero." Relena smiled.

Heero glanced at her then back at the controls. "It's my job." 

Relena's smile remained intact, but it lost all its' warmth. 

~*~*~*~*~

Five hours later, they received permission to dock on Peacemillion 2: The Great and Sexcellent. 

Relena exited their ship with a sense of relief. The silence between her and Heero had been stifling. Also, something about being around him in this situation made her feel so…useless. She couldn't even pilot the ship for a while so he could get some sleep. 

"Heeey jive turkey's, Zephyr sent a coded message over to let us know you were on your way!" Howard's eyes crinkled from laughter beneath his sunglasses. "So what brings the Great Yuy and the Peacecraft Princess to the Peacemillion 2?"

"The Great and Sexcellent." A passing mechanic added.

"Who's Zephyr?" Relena inquired.

"My son!" Howard exclaimed.

"So *that* was his name!" 

"We have a situation." Heero jerked everyone back to the topic at hand, and seeing that he had their attention, lifted up the jacket.

"Maaan, you came all the way here so I could look at a kink accident!?" Howard fussed, clearly not impressed.

"It was *not* a kink accident." Relena felt herself turn crimson all the way to the roots of her hair. 

"Duo and Hilde got us drunk." Heero explained.

"And drugged us." Relena added helpfully.

"And cuffed us while we were unconscious." Heero continued.

"Handcuffs made out of Duo's indestructible new alloy." Relena elaborated.

"Dumped us in a hotel room, located in a town three hours outside of Brussels." Heero grumbled.

"And then went into hiding, leaving us to our own devices." Relena finished. 

"Hmmmm." Howard considered their outlandish story. "That sounds exactly like something Duo would do."

"We need you to analyze the metal and tell us what we have to do to remove the handcuffs." Heero said.

"I can do that. But not until tomorrow night."

"Tomorrow night!?" Relena exclaimed. "Why so long?"

Howard's expression immediately darkened. 

"Hey, listen kids, I have a business to run. I can't just drop everything because you waltz in here asking for my help!" He reprimanded them sharply.

Relena looked understandably chastised. Even Heero appeared slightly apologetic. 

"Besides, I just got a new *nightclub* built on the ship! PAAAARTAAAAY!" He threw his hands up in the air and danced away.

Relena and Heero exchanged an odd look.

"Is it just me," Relena mused, "Or has Howard gotten *worse*?"

"It's not just you." Heero confirmed.

"Well, there's a reason Howard is like this now." The same passing mechanic confided, obviously overhearing their conversation. "After the war ended he had to turn to something different to fill the void left in his soul."

"Pot?" Relena asked.

"Crack?" Heero suggested.

"No," The mechanic answered gravely. "New-age philosophy."

"Oooooh." They both exclaimed in their comprehension.

"Well that explains it." Heero replied.

"Hey, I just forgot, you guys might like a room! What with you bein' handcuffed and all!" Howard sang, dancing back into room.

Relena sputtered at the implication.

"The room will be used for sleeping and that's *all*it will be used for." Heero's stony expression was completely lost on the small, exuberant man.

"Sure man, sure." He grinned, wiggling his eyebrows up and down. "I get it, *top secret affair*. Don't worry, my little spandex lover, it's safe with me."

Relena rolled her eyes and followed Howard. He led them down raw metallic halls to one of the bunking rooms on the ship.

"This…only has one bed." Relena observed, a sinking feeling that had become all too familiar in the past few days churning in the pit of her stomach. 

Despite being handcuffed, she and Heero had managed to avoid this part of being inseparable by pushing two hotel beds within six inches or so of each other. Effectively, uncomfortable as it might be, falling asleep with chastity still intact. 

"Here on the Peacemillion 2-…" Howard grinned devilishly,

"The Great and Sexcellent." A different passing mechanic called.

"There are *only* single beds in the rooms. And… a *nightclub*! Enjoy your stay, hipsters!" Howard slammed the door and danced off once again, already anticipating the heavy techno beats of the establishment he would soon be patroning. 

A long silence stretched over the two occupants of the bedroom.

"I don't suppose you want to go to the nightclub, huh?" Relena's smile was tired, but wry.

Heero stared at the bed mutely. Him. Relena. In closer proximity than they already were. In a bed. We can assure you, it wasn't visions of sugar plums that were dancing in Heero's head.

"I need a shower," He replied brusquely, pushing past Relena. 'A cold, cold shower.' He added mentally.

Relena tried to ignore the sting of his brush-off as she was forced to follow. Heero handed her the scissors they kept handy for just such an occasion.

"Cut." He ordered, no hint of emotion in his command.

Relena bit her lip, feeling crushed. She had just been trying to lighten the mood. Somehow, the more time she spent with Heero, the more his indifferent attitude hurt her. She cut the strap of his tank top, avoiding his gaze. He stalked into the bathroom, pulling Relena behind him. Clothes flew as he began to disrobe, apparently uncaring whether Relena observed or not. She clenched her eyes shut out of preservation of her own modesty. Feeling the tug of the chain as he entered the bath she moved a little closer and leaned against the wall. The toilet, unfortunately, was situated on the other end of the bathroom. She would have to stand for the duration of his shower. 

For a long time the only sounds in the bathroom was the echo of falling water, and the steady hum of pipe work. Relena wallowed in her own discontent, completely ignoring her surroundings. Finally, Heero broke the silence.

"You don't have to worry about the bed. I'm sleeping on the floor."

Relena stiffened. He couldn't even bring himself to sleep one night in the same bed with her. Relena was hurt, but more than hurt- she was angry. 

"Is that so." She snapped, opening her eyes. 

Heero poked his head out of the shower to look at her. "What are you upset about?" He asked, brushing away his dripping bangs.

"Am I really so horrible?" Relena asked him, glaring for all she was worth. "That you can't even bare to sleep in the same bed as me for *one night*?"

Heero looked surprised. "Relena, that's not-…"

"Well, guess what Heero! I don't care if you don't like being handcuffed to me! Being handcuffed to you hasn't been a romp in the meadow, either!" She shouted before she stomped out of the bathroom.

Heero, too disoriented by Relena's uncharacteristic outburst to be thinking clearly, obeyed pull of the cuffs. He stumbled out of the shower, grabbing for a towel and missing by inches. Relena led him out into the bedroom, too absorbed in her anger to notice his state of undress. 

She was fighting hard not to completely lose her composure. All the little ways Heero had shown he couldn't stand her had just finally gotten through her defenses. She knew she obviously wasn't his favorite person in the world, but did he have to be so *mean*? Especially when he had to know how she felt about him. Oh god, she was going to cry. To stifle that urge she gave the handcuffs a good jerk and rounded on her bodyguard.

"And for another matter-oomph." 

Relena, unfortunately, hadn't taken into consideration that her little tug had sent Heero barreling forward, and ended up knocking him over when he collided with her. Losing her delicate balance as well, she too, fell over- right on top of him. 

It was too much for her. The stress of her situation, the cold shoulder she had received from Heero the whole time, her own emotional turmoil, and now she had had a total klutz attack right in the heat of her passionate speech. She burst into tears right there, on top of his naked chest. 

~*~*~*~*~*~

AN: Man, did I leave you at a great spot or WHAT!? Alright, Relena's dream interpretation time!

The first one should be obvious. It's pretty much how she feels about her life. She's trapped in a cage of expectations, to be a certain way, to be relied upon, when sometimes she feels like she doesn't know what's going on anymore than anyone else does. That, of course, is scary, because her decisions are so important, so it makes that dream a nightmare. Her father's death was the mark of when this change in her life took place, so that's why he's the one who presents her with the crown, which represents her responsibilities. 

The second one was a little harder. Nakedness is symbolic of being stripped of all defenses and façade's. Shopping for underwear with Heero was a way (a really, *really* weird way, but hey it's my fic, and we all know I lack a great deal of sanity) of representing that she was comfortable with the fact that Heero knows her true self. BUT- Because Relena feels fear in this dream- it means that she isn't confident about Heero accepting her. When she went underwear shopping with him for REAL she was standing up against that fear, but unconsciously. 

I always felt that Relena would develop some sort of complex about being accepted by Heero if he constantly treated her like he did throughout the series, especially if they interacted on a day-to-day basis. He did have his moments, but the majority of the time was spent brushing her off, for whatever necessary reason. This is why being handcuffed to him is difficult for HER to deal with. She's faced with possibility of showing weakness and imperfection to someone who she not only fears isn't too fond of her, but when he does speak of her, exaggerates her abilities beyond what she thinks she is capable of. A very heavy burden, especially because it's coming from someone she admires and loves so very much.

With Heero, it's simpler. Relena is the one person he considers able to bring order to the world. By involving himself with her, he would be messing all that up for his own selfish desires because ultimately, he deems himself incompetent in the capacity of relationships. This is demonstrated in the series by his reluctance to see her face to face, but his willingness to protect her from the shadows, leaving certain teddy bears on certain airplane seats, ect. But by being handcuffed to Relena, Heero's forced to confront his desires constantly and as a consequence, be reminded of his inadequacies. So, to help keep that at bay, he shuts Relena out, unintentionally hurting her in the process. 

These are the motivations in my story, but as something that actually happened, it's purely speculation, especially the bit about Relena having a complex about Heero. But it's a possibility I feel was very real. Anywho, that's enough rambling from me! I think I shall henceforth by known as The Author Who Talked Too Much lol!

PS: If you're wondering why Howard was acting so bizarre- besides the recent faith in new age philosophies- it's a joke on my mailing list. I was officially picked to be "Howard" and the way he acted was my own special brand of insanity when I emulated him. OOC, I know, but I thought it was too good an opportunity to pass up. First and foremost, I wanted this fic to be fun ^_^ To the girls on the LRML, PENGUINS FOREVER! :P 

The Soundtrack:

Queen of the Crimson Nile by Electrasy

I'm Too Sexy by Right Said Fred

Semi-Charmed Life by Third Eye Blind

Send It Up by Vertical Horizon

Little Black Backpack by Stroke Nine

When It's Over by Sugar Ray

Peaches by Presidents of the United States of America

The Motivation Proclamation by Good Charlotte

I Want Your Sex by George Michael (the official Peacemillion 2: The Great and Sexcellent theme song)

Respect by Aretha Franklin


	6. In which the foot is stuck in the mouth

News: Accidently uploaded the wrong version of this chapter to FFN! OOPSIES! Sorry about that folks, just ignore me and my stupidity -_-;

AN: Hello! I'm so sorry it's been so long everyone! ::hugs readers:: Thank you so much for bearing with me! In this chapter, things get a leetle bit more tense for Heero and Relena! Ooo! Let's have fun watching them squirm ::evil grin::

Warnings: The following chapter contains a lime. For those of you unfamiliar with the terminology, a lime is sexual situations, but not out and out sex. 

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**_~ Bound~_**

Chapter Five

"Cause your kisses lift me higher  
Like the sweet song of a choir  
You light my morning sky  
With burning love"

-Elvis "Burning Love"

(Long live the King!)

Women were impossible to understand. Heero had once thought himself capable, logical- reasonably sound in his mental facilities. That was before the President of the Earth Sphere Unified Nation had collapsed on him in a heap of tears. Now he was fairly certain he was on the brink of insanity.  

He regarded the weeping woman on him with an almost detached concern, as if he wasn't actually the one who she was crying all over; instead, he was just an innocent bystander watching the poor tortured man on the floor and shaking his head in pity.  But he wasn't just some random bystander- he was the individual responsible for dealing with this situation. He would have to approach it calmly and rationally, voicing reason and benevolent comfort.

He opened his mouth to inform her that her tears were ridiculous and that they were to cease immediately when she suddenly stopped. She sat there for a few minutes breathing heavily, as if fighting for control. Just as it seemed she had finally reigned in her emotions, she hiccupped- the soft jerk enough to break the fragile bond holding her together. She collapsed against him again, broken sobs echoing in the cold, industrial room. Heero wondered why he bothered opening his mouth to begin with.

Casting his glance upwards, he silently pleaded with the ceiling to help him, to- just once- give him some answers he desperately needed. For instance, what he should do. Minutes ticked by, every agonizing second noted by the utterly bewildered male. Concluding that the dull surface of metal would provide him with about as many answers as God did- that grand total being none- he resolved to calm Relena; how, he wasn't quite sure yet. Hopefully improvising worked as well with women as it did with losing battles.

Cursing divinity, mute sheets of steel, and women who were entirely too soft for their own good, he placed an unsure hand on her back. 

"Relena." He winced at his stern tone. Didn't comforting people require a certain amount of gentleness? He was careful to make sure the bite had been taken out of his next question. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong!?" Relena sobbed, "What's WRONG!?" 

She reared up, planting her hands on either side of his ribcage, glaring at him with tear stained cheeks. Heero's breath caught as her body pressed against his, a new wave of heated impulse spiraling through his veins. His hands clenched at his sides, as he resisted the need to pull her closer, to feel more of her.  

"You want to know what's wrong. Let me count the ways! ," Relena almost hissed, "I've been drugged, handcuffed to my bodyguard and dragged all over L2. I've had strange, greasy men leering at me because all I can do it wear stupid TUBE TOPS…"

Heero's eyes were unwillingly drawn to the view the low-cut shirts provided.

"I've just found out that Howard has actually *reproduced*-"

Heero briefly- okay, not so briefly- wondered what it would be like to "reproduce" with Relena.

"-that in itself is enough to ruin my week. And you…" She trailed off. 

"And you…" She tried again, but her voice broke under the strain of her emotion. She bit her lip as tears welled up once again.

Heero felt his heart clench as her voice caught- she sounded so…hurt.

"I what, Relena?" Heero asked, a hint of huskiness coloring his softly spoken inquiry. He tried out a smile, hoping it would encourage her. Her eyes seemed to warm for a moment, but it was gone in the next, her expression more bleak than before.

"You…" Relena trailed off, angered guilt assailing her. Here she was razing Heero for her frustrations when it was her own careless words that had sealed her fate. "This is all my fault. You hadn't spoken to me since the election. You wouldn't even look me in the eye. I was getting desperate."

All traces of Heero's smile fading into oblivion. He pressed his lips together, slightly chagrined. He *had* been avoiding Relena since her inauguration. He *had* to keep his relationship with her on a purely professional level. And the longer he guarded her, the more difficult it was becoming. It was a necessity to keep his distance- or so he had told himself.

"So, I called Hilde. I don't even remember how it happened but, we got to talking and…I said that I'd have to handcuff you to me to get you to talk to me now." Relena confessed miserably.

Heero stared at her blankly.

"Don't you get it!?" the petite blonde exclaimed. "This is all my fault. If I had just kept my mouth closed, Hilde would have never concocted this stupid idea. *That's* why they chose this method to test the new alloy."

Heero was speechless. 

"I'm sorry I lied, Heero. But I…I couldn't help it. You were so withdrawn from me and I knew you'd just be even angrier once you found out."

"I'm angry?"

"Heero, why don't you like me?"

At one point in his life Heero had thought applications of the chaos theory was one of the most difficult things to comprehend. Now he found himself mistaken- it was Relena's train of thought. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. At first, I thought maybe I was just overreacting- maybe you had other reasons for severing ties with me. But ever since we've been handcuffed you've acted like you can barely stand me. You hardly talk to me. You brush me off all the time. You won't even walk beside me. I've never seen anyone be so blunt in their avoidance…so I'm asking you…what did I do to make you hate me so much? And…and why did you become my bodyguard if you can't stand me?" She tensed, obviously waiting for his answer.

Disbelief filtered through him, as he squinted at her, carefully studying her face for any signs of joking or amusement. Her expression was dead serious as she stared back at him. She thought he didn't like her? But what else could she have reasoned? If he had been in her position, he would have come to the same conclusion.

The day Heero Yuy woke up to the totally unwelcome sight of a pretty girl with blue eyes, clasping his flight helmet and staring down at him in concern was one that had been forever marked as "important" in his mind. He doubted even Relena, with all her infinite wisdom, could have foreseen the tumultuous relationship that would unfold between them from that moment on. He knew *he* had been completely clueless as to where he and Relena would eventually end up. Never in his all his years of training did he believe he had a place in the world he would help create; that he would find someone he cared for and wanted.

But it had happened, and because of his annoying lack of psychic powers, Heero was totally unprepared for it when it did.  Heero was a man that did not enjoy being unprepared.  

When he woke up next to Relena, wearing a pair of new metal bracelets- to say he hadn't been prepared for that would have been an understatement.

When Relena's closeness began to effect his judgment and actions- he hadn't been prepared for that either.

And just now when she had tearfully accused him of hating her- he *definitely* hadn't been prepared. He was like a fish out of water- disconcerted, unsettled. But as much as he hated feeling like bumbling idiot, he hated the fact that he had hurt Relena more. Especially when he hadn't even realized he was doing it.

He looked into her eyes, pushed past their beauty and confidence, and finally understood what it was those fronts were hiding- her insecurity. She averted her gaze and started to rise.

"I get it. Don't worry Heero, once these cuffs are off-"

"No!" Heero shouted, pulling her back towards him. She landed on him with a small cry. He tried to look at her directly, but she pulled away. "Relena…I don't hate you."

Her eyes snapped back to his face. "I don't understand. You always act like I've done something wrong…"

"It's not you…it's just because…"

He was fighting something. Heero could feel the battle of wills, clashing relentlessly, but what was he struggling against? He wanted to squeeze his eyes shut and ignore the deep tugging he felt acutely whenever she was near, and whenever she was gone. It called to him, made him want to surrender to it; an unnamed ache that hadn't left him alone since he met Relena. He didn't understand it- and he didn't want to.

These emotions Relena evoked- that's what he was avoiding. Sentiments someone like him couldn't feel. Shouldn't feel. Could not be permitted to feel. But the old arguments were cold and lifeless when compared to the radiance of the woman hovering over him. He'd been resisting her for so long. What would it be like…to give in? He felt like a stripped wire- volatile, electric, bare of the casings that held it all in.

"It's just because…" He whispered hoarsely, breaking off before he finished. One hand slide over her hip, the other tangled in her hair, fabricated motions carved long ago in his imagination becoming shaky, new realities.

Without warning he crushed his mouth to hers, a surging heat skipping over frayed nerve endings. He felt Relena stiffen above him before relaxing, her delicate curves melting into his in a tempting mix of pressure and texture. Coaxing her mouth open, he swept his tongue in, eager to plunder what she offered. She responded tentatively, confused by the sudden onslaught. Heero needed more.

Breaking off their kiss he trailed his mouth along her jaw line, tasting the softness of her skin, before he turned his attention to her ear. She gasped with the sensations and instinctively pressed closer, her hands sliding up to tangle in his damp locks. In one deft motion he flipped her on her back and settled on top, his lips blazing a path down her throat to nip at her collarbones. It was frantic and primitive, the passion flaring between them almost visible. Relena moaned as she felt a hungry lust suddenly take her captive. Utterly swept away by the impulses Heero was summoning, she parted her legs to hug his hips, cradling the insistent push of his arousal.

Heero's breath left him in a great 'whoosh' as he found himself pressed intimately to Relena. He could feel her heat even through the thick material of the jeans. She was responding to him- she wanted him. He looked up and saw blue flames dancing in her eyes, his own naked need mirrored in her face. Suddenly his mouth was back on hers, hot and demanding, slanting over hers in a total abandon.

He felt himself losing control, his attempts to tame his impulses completely in vain. Was this what he craved? It excited and scared him at the same time.

Hands were everywhere; her shoulders, his back, her breasts. He wanted to see every last inch of her, to touch her. He slipped questing fingers under the bottom of the tube top and encountered the flat planes of her stomach. He glided his palm upward, over her ribs, reveling in the silk of her skin. He groaned as she pressed a wet kiss to his throat, his desire pushed to new planes. 

Someone other than the two lovers on the floor cleared their throat loudly.

Relena tensed so fast Heero thought she would break in half. 

Jerking around, he opened his mouth, intending to tell Howard to butt out and go get a hobby *other* than his sex life. 

Jerking around, he donned his best death glare (not that it was difficult), intending to tell Howard to butt out and go get a hobby *other* than his sex life.

The person giving Heero a slightly surprised, if somewhat smug, look was *not* Howard.

Trowa raised an eyebrow at the sight of his naked friend in such an intimate position with his employer. He gave a little smirk before commenting. "It appears I've arrived at an inopportune moment."

Heero's glower spoke volumes.

"So sorry to interrupt. I was on an errand, but it appears Duo's intuition has proven to be more accurate than I expected. Since this is the case, my services will no longer be needed."

Heero jerked upright as Trowa said Duo's name, all previous thoughts flying out his head at the mention of the braided pilot. "What do you mean 'Duo's intuition'? Trowa, why are you here?"

Trowa shrugged. "I just thought you might be in need of *this*."

A small silver key dangled from Trowa's pointer finger.

Heero knew it was hopeless for *him* to use the key- but Relena's lock. Relena's lock wasn't jammed. They could be free.

He dove for it, but came up short. Trowa looked down at him, slightly amused.

"Give me that key." Heero hissed, locking eyes with the taller man.

The biggest smile Heero had ever seen the on the face of the former pilot of 03 beamed down at him.

"No way in hell."

And with that Trowa walked right out the door, slamming it in Heero's face.

"Shit!" Heero swore, racing back to the bathroom to retrieve his pants. 

"Heero what are you doing?" Relena asked, following him blindly, her dazed voice not even registering in his frenzied mind. 

Then they were flying down the halls, looking desperately for Trowa and that little silver key. He pulled up short at the hall leading to the shuttle bay, his eyes catching on a discarded piece of paper, an address to a hotel room hastily scrawled on it.

Heero stooped down and picked it up, Relena oddly silent behind him.  He smirked as he scanned the information. "So that's where that green-eyed bastard is headed."

He intercepted him by his craft, as Trowa was preparing to board. Moving with a stealth that was impressive, despite the girl cuffed to him, he caught Trowa with a right hook across the jaw. Trowa, startled by the unseen attack, stumbled backwards, opening another gap in his defenses for Heero to take advantage of. The uptake was too slow, however, and Trowa was waiting for his next advance.

Delivering a solid knee to Heero's gut he watched as The Perfect Soldier fell to his knees in front of him.

"Give me the key." Heero gasped, arms clamped around his abused abdomen. 

Trowa sighed. "Heero, this is one of the best things that has ever happened to you. And I'm not going to let *anyone* spoil it. Even if that person is you. You deserve this happiness, my friend. It's your own reservations that are keeping you from having it."

"Happiness?!" Heero shouted, clearly exasperated. He tried to move forward but Relena was rooted to her spot. "You call this happiness?! Even the most essential of privacies violated? Hunting tirelessly for a way to remove these cuffs? Not having even an instant's peace?! You have no idea what you're talking about. This isn't one of the best things that's ever happened to me. It's one of the *worst*. Give me the key so we can end this."

Trowa held up the object in question and shook his head sadly. The key shone in the artificial light, just beyond Heero's reach. "I'm sorry. I can't."      

"Trowa, don't make me ta-"

Suddenly, out of no where, Relena's small hand swooped in, snatching it from Trowa's grasp. Trowa jerked his head up in amazement as she stood trembling, grasping the key in her tightly clenched fist. She looked down at Heero and gave a sharp tug on the handcuffs.

"Get up." She ordered. A deadly calm chilled her voice, the air suddenly crackling with hostility.

Heero felt the pit of his stomach drop. He had completely forgotten Relena was right there. What had he been saying? "Relena, are you-?"

"GET UP!" Relena almost screamed, her eyes clouded with rage. 

Heero was quick to obey, even backing up a few steps. With enough slack to be able to reach the lock on her cuff, she stuck the little key in the keyhole and turned. The chain suddenly went lax as the binding clicked off and dropped from her delicate wrist. Heero stared blankly at the chain and empty cuff now hanging at his side- he *should* be happy- he was free. It's what he had wanted from the beginning. Then why did he feel such a keen sense of loss? He met Relena's eyes.

She was giving him a look of such disgust it made him flinch. When she spoke, her voice hummed with outrage. "I could accept your detest, but your blatant exploitation of my weakness is …beyond forgivable. Don't bother coming in to work Monday. I will see that you are re-assigned to a different branch- you shouldn't have any objections about that." She turned her back on him, and walked over to the lockers. She pulled her flight suit out of one and began to angrily shove herself into it, refusing to spare Heero another look.

"Trowa, I'm going with you. I'll be waiting in the shuttle."

And with those last words she disappeared into the shuttle. 

Heero gawked at the place she had been standing, in a state of complete shock. There was a surreal-ness about the situation that made him tempted to pinch himself. It had to be a dream. Relena didn't just tell him she never wanted to see him again. He didn't just make the biggest mistake of his life.

Biggest mistake of his life? Yes, Heero realized, it was. Because the undeniable feelings that were gripping his heart in a vice were impossible to ignore, no matter how hard he tried. The dread he felt seeping into his bones wasn't just a consequence of some protective affection. He knew in the moment of her rejection what it was he had been denying since day one- he was in love with her.

And she had just told him she wanted nothing to do with him. 

Heero stood stalk still, overcome in the wake of his loss.

Trowa walked over, his usual blank expression in place. "Well Yuy, you really fucked that one up."

Trowa always did have a tendency for understatement.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The Soundtrack:

This Kiss by Faith Hill

Mamboleo by Elissa

My Friends Over You by New Found Glory

She Moves in Mysterious Ways by U2

Desire by U2

Dolphins Cry by Live

Crash by Dave Matthews Band

Burnin' Love by Elvis (I am thinking that it's incredibly wrong that I got my lime theme song from the Lilo and Stitch soundtrack...yeah...yeah it really is…)


	7. In which revenge is exacted

AN: Another chapter! ^_^ Whee! Bound is nearing its conclusion! ::gasp:: Thanks to everyone who had been so patient in waiting for this chapter, and thank you so much for reading! J I hope you enjoy! ^_^

****

**_~Bound~_**

Chapter Six

"It's no surprise to me

I am my own worst enemy

'Cause every now and then I kick the living shit out of me."

-My Own Worst Enemy by Lit

Duo woke to a *very* familiar cry.

"I AM GOING TO FUCKING *KILL* YOU, MAXWELL!" 

'Hm, looks like Heero managed to get out of my cuffs.'

Duo's train of thought was abruptly cut off as he was jerked roughly from his bed. The cold steel of a gun barrel was shoved against his temple as a seething whisper sounded in his ears.

"Say hello to my little friend. You two are going to be become *very* well acquainted."

An unimpressed snort drew the attention of both men.

"Firstly", Hilde said, arms folded over her nightgown, "Heero, that was corny, even for you."

Heero glared. "I spent the whole damn shuttle ride thinking that up."

Hilde shot him a skeptical look. "Don't quit your day job, hon. And *secondly* what nerve do you two boys have waking me up in the middle of the night? Take it outside."

"Sorry Hilde." Heero muttered, and grabbed Duo by the collar of his shirt, dragging him out of the hotel room. 

"Hey! Hilde was the one who thought up the whole plan in the first place! How come *she* doesn't get a gun to her head at 3 am?!" Duo complained, wincing as he felt the rug burn.

"That's different." Heero said matter-of-factly, eyes straight ahead the whole time.

  
"But, WHY!?" Duo shouted, clearly exasperated.

"Because, Maxwell, every self respecting person who's *ever* met you knows that your evil is like the bubonic plague- it catches quickly and lethally. No one is safe. Hilde, being the saint she is, tried to overlook all that, but it seems to have spread to her as well. Pity. She was a good pilot." 

Duo let out a frustrated sigh. "So, it's all my fault?"

"You're sharper than you look." Heero retorted, still dragging his friend behind him.

As Duo was pulled out the door and around the corner, he locked eyes with the petite blue-eyed girl sitting comfortably on the bed. Smiling brilliantly, she immediately stuck her tongue out at her doomed boyfriend. Duo scowled and Hilde got a breathtaking view of a particular finger. Her laughter echoed throughout the room as Duo slid from sight.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

There was a resounding thump as Heero landed a well-oiled fist into Duo's abdomen.

"OW! Shit, man, that hurt!" Duo grunted, doubling over.

"That is only one HUNDREDTH of the pain I've been through." Heero stated coldly, cracking his knuckles. 

Duo groaned, one arm curled protectively around his abused abdomen, the other held up in a gesture signaling that he needed a minute. 

"What do you mean…pain?" He gasped, regarding the stoic Japanese boy with confusion. "Annoying, yeah. Inconvenient, yeah. But PAINFUL? Did we put them on too tight or something?"

"Shut up." Heero bit out, attempting to land another blow. 

Duo blocked expertly, long accustomed to the unique method his best friend chose to vent his frustrations.

"Heero, don't ignore the question! Answer me!" Duo gave him a stern look.

Heero glared back, completely disregarding the command. "Just shut your mouth and fight me. This is all because of you and your stupid handcuffs." 

Duo sighed before swiftly crouching and spinning, letting one outstretched and tensed leg knock Heero completely off his footing. He landed heavily against the pavement, light exploding across his eyelids when his skull cracked against the concrete. Duo stood, walked over, and planted one bare foot in the middle of Heero's chest. The braided man loomed over his felled friend, hands on hips in frustration. 

"Allow me to rephrase the question. How badly did you screw yourself over this time?"

Shaking his head to clear away the stars that seemed to dance across his vision, Heero growled and grabbed Duo's ankle. Summoning his strength, he threw the taller man off him and twisted, sending Duo spinning. The braided man was obviously not expecting this and yelped as he landed right next to his best friend, his breath leaving him in a giant 'whoosh'. 

"Shit." He gasped, coughing slightly "This must be bad." 

Heero squeezed his eyes shut. "You have no idea. She's re-assigning me."

"Motherfucker." Duo whispered after a brief pause. "How did you manage that?"

Heero scowled. "I wasn't thinking, okay!? Trowa interrupted us and I was all disoriented and all I wanted was that stupid key so I wouldn't be forced to…forced to…"

Heero broke off mid sentence, a sullen glare settling on his defined features.

Duo looked at him expectantly. "Forced to?" He prompted. Heero pressed his lips together in an act of defiance. Duo poked him hard, annoyed with his silence. That seemed to be enough prodding, because Heero shot him a customary death glare before opening his mouth to respond.

"Look, I didn't want to be forced to confront my feelings about her, okay?!" He huffed, avoiding Duo's gaze.

Duo stared at Heero as if he had just discovered the former Gundam pilot religiously took interpretive dance classes. "Wow…Heero I think that's the closest I've ever heard you get to admitting you care about her."

"So take a fucking picture." 

Duo raised a sly eyebrow. "So…what *exactly* was Trowa interrupting? Hmmm…?" 

Heero groaned and threw an arm over his eyes. 

Duo cackled with glee. "You scored! Heero Yuy ACTUA- oof!"

Heero removed his elbow from Duo's side. "I didn't have sex with her, you idiot. We were just kissing! I swear, you're worse than you were when we were fifteen." 

Duo gave him an amazed look. "Kissing? You got her to kiss you!? Heero-Stick-Up-His-Ass-Yuy ACTUA-" WHAP!

Duo rubbed his stinging cheek and pouted. "You slap worse than Hilde."

Heero snorted. "You deserved it." 

"Alright, so, after Trowa caught you playing tonsil hockey, then what?"

Heero sighed. "He wouldn't give me the key. He said something about your intuition being accurate-"

"Damn straight." Duo flashed the artificial colony sky a smug grin.

"Are you going to listen or not?" Heero growled.

Duo turned his eyes back the man sprawled out next to him. "Please, continue." He plastered a fake eager smile on his face and propped himself up on one of his elbows, the very picture of an attentive listener.

"And no smart ass remarks."

"Yes, sir."

"I chased him down, after I put my pants on. NO smart ass remarks, remember?!"

Duo snapped his fingers and sulked.

"I caught up with him in the shuttle bay. We scuffled and he got the best of me.  And then I …said some things. She got mad and grabbed the key from Trowa and unlocked her cuff. Told me I took advantage of her vulnerability, never wanted to see me again. Left with Trowa. I sat there for a while and decided to find you and beat you up."

"That's logical." Duo quipped sarcastically.

"Duo…" Heero warned.

"I know, I know, no smart ass remarks. Heero, what *exactly* did you say that pissed her off so bad?"

Heero scratched his head in thought. "I don't know…I think it was something about the fact I said that this was the worst thing that had ever happened to me after we had been…um…intimate."

"Jesus." Duo sighed, running a hand over his face, "Heero, you were born with a foot stuck in your mouth."

"I reiterate- *I wasn't thinking*. You try being in a state of constant sexual frustration for a week on top of a thorough ass-kicking and we'll see how coherent *you* are."

"Good point." Duo admitted. "So, she's reassigning you?"

"Yes. Apparently it's her top priority. She told me not to bother coming in Monday."

"Ouch." Duo cringed.

"Yeah…ouch."

The two men fell silent, both staring upward, expressions blank.

Suddenly Duo grinned broadly, smacking a fist against his open palm. "That's *it*."

Heero gave him a wary glance. "Let me guess…you…"

"Have an idea." Duo smiled devilishly.

Heero stared at him silently for a few minutes. "That scares me…yet…at the same time I'm grossly fascinated."

"Not to mention desperate." Duo cheerfully pointed out.

"So tell me what it involves."

"I will, but first we need to get a hold of Wufei. He's essential."

Heero nodded and rolled easily to his feet. Duo stumbled up after him, wincing at the various pains and aches assaulting his poor body. "Now I'm gonna have gravel in my hair." He whined, shaking out his braid.

Heero shrugged. "You were open."

"You're just lucky I put up with your bad habits." Duo grumbled.

"You're just lucky I tolerate *yours*." Heero shot back.

"Touché!" Duo laughed as they entered the building.

"And thanks." Heero added quietly.

Duo screeched to a halt. "What was that?"

Heero stared at the light fixtures of the hotel lobby. "Thanks. Y'know. For listening to me and…trying to help fix things… even if this was your own idiotic fault in the first place."

Duo was speechless for a good minute. Which is impressive for Duo. A warm smile spread across his face as he slapped Heero on the back. "No problem, Yuy. What are friends for?"

"Don't touch me."

"Right, right."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Relena," Une sighed gently, resting her clasped hands on her desktop, "are you sure you want to do this?"

Relena met her unwavering gaze. "Of course I am."

"But, why? It seems so…sudden…" Une remarked, concern marking her features.

"Please don't question my motives, Une. Things just aren't working out between Heero and myself. The working environment would become…strained."

"This wouldn't have anything to do with the week you took off, would it?"

'Damn, she's good.' Relena did her best to keep a straight face. "Of course not. What would make you think that?"

"Relena, I'm sleeping with Trowa. You think I wouldn't notice his sudden disappearance?" She smiled vaguely. 

Relena deflated. "I hate you." 

"Yes, I know." Une replied casually, studying a finely polished nail. "So drop the poker face and tell me what's going on."

Relena frowned. "Heero's an ass, that's what's going on."

"If this is news to you, Relena, then I'm going to have suggest you go see a psychiatrist about delusions."

Relena glared at her. "Your sarcasm is *so* not appreciated."

"Neither is your avoidance." Une countered. 

Relena pressed her lips together in a thin line. Une smiled triumphantly. 

"You forget, I wore *two* politicians' masks at one point. Your tactics are brilliant, but you're still a novice." 

The young President let out her breath slowly. Fixing her eyes on the decorative vase on a small table she began to relate her tale.

"Hilde was in town with Duo. That's why I took off work- I was planning to spend time with them. Only, that's not what ended up happening. Hilde and Duo got Heero and I drunk, and while we were passed out, they handcuffed us together."

Une sighed. "Duo and his brilliant ideas."

Relena's smile was melancholy. "It would've been a simple matter of getting the cuffs cut off- *if* they were normal handcuffs."

"What do you mean 'if they were normal'?"

"Duo discovered a new alloy recently. He forged them into handcuffs as a sort of test. He used Heero and myself as the guinea pigs. The alloy was stronger than gundanium, more durable than gundanium. We tried to pick the locks, but it didn't work. Duo had gone into hiding. We went to Howard, as a last resort." Here Relena pulled up short.

"So? Did Howard get the cuffs off?"

"No." Relena replied. "No. I yelled at Heero. He had been so cold to me throughout the whole ordeal. And just when I thought he was getting over it, he'd retract back into his shell. I asked him why he hated me so much and he…and he kissed me."

Une raised an eyebrow. Relena blushed slightly.

"Trowa walked in on us. He had the key. He took one look at our rather compromising position and turned right back around, intending to get back in his shuttle and leave us be. Heero chased after him. Trowa said he wouldn't give Heero the key because this was the best thing that ever happened to him. And Heero informed him that he was mistaken- that it had been torture being handcuffed to me. That this was the *worst* thing that had ever happened to him."

 A tear escaped a prison of thick lashes to slid down Relena's cheek. "Bastard." She whispered, hugging her sides.

Relena's hurt was obvious- and not new, it seemed. There was a sense of worn rawness in her expression, like a wound relentlessly chafed over time- never healing, never fading.

"What did you do?" Une asked in a gentle voice.

Relena straightened, hitching her chin up a few notches as she composed herself. "What any other self respecting woman would do. I grabbed the key from Trowa and unlocked my cuff. I told Heero I never wanted to see him again, resolved to reassign him, and left with Trowa." 

Une nodded. "I'm glad you put him in his place. But, Relena…do you think that maybe you acted a little hastily?"

The young woman curled her hands into angry fists. "I consider myself a tolerant person- but this crosses the line. I've given him plenty of opportunities to show he cares. I've tried so *hard* to be strong for him. To live up to what he- and everyone else for that matter- expects from me. But I am *only human*…" Her voice broke, and she took a shuddering breath to calm herself. "He's made himself perfectly clear. And no matter how much I love him, I refuse to hold onto somebody that will never give me anything more than poorly veiled resentment."

"Did you talk to him about this? Give him a chance to explain himself? People just don't go around kissing people they don't even like, you know."

Relena glared at the carpet. "He doesn't deserve a chance to explain."

"Not for him. For you."

Relena looked at Une. "Huh?"

"I know how much that hurt you, Relena. Maybe it would help if you understood his motives."

Relena nodded quietly, turning this over in her head. "I'll think about it." 

"Do you still want to go through with the reassignment?" Une asked. 

Relena weighed the situation carefully. Even if he explained- something she didn't even expect he'd do- that didn't guarantee that he cared about her. It only offered clarity. Separation would hurt…but…

"Yes." She decided. She felt her heart constrict at the words and her throat clog. Damn Heero. "Now if you'll excuse me, I must go back to work."

Without waiting for Une's parting greeting, she rose from the wooden chair and walked out of the office.

Une gazed after her with sad eyes. "Of course, Miss President."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

AN : Wow, this is Bound's 2nd major revision 0_0. I just need to learn when to stop LOL- anywho, I had a feeling that this story reached it's conclusion perhaps a *bit* too abruptly, and there were parts I glossed over, (Bound was actually only supposed to be 4 chapters long- now it's twice that length) so I went back and tried to smooth that over a little better ^_^ Hence why this chapter, and the following one, will be shorter than the others- originally, I actually concluded this story in just this chapter- but I didn't think it flowed well, so I separated it into two parts, and elaborated on certain events. Anywho- just a tidbit LOL

The Soundtrack:

Insane in the Membrane by Cypress Hill

Mama Said Knock You Out by LL Cool J

Lifestyle of the Rich and the Famous by New Found Glory

Leaving Town by Dexter Freebish

My Own Worst Enemy by Lit


	8. In which Heero does his best Bond impres...

AN: Oopsies- Lars made a bit of a booboo LOL- everyone was right, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous *is* by Good Charlotte- sorry guys, I have permanently mixed up New Found Glory and Good Charlotte- I'll tell you every single last New Found Glory Song is by Good Charlotte, and every last Good Charlotte song is by New Found Glory -_-;;;; What a good little fan I am LOL.

The last chapter! EEP! Well…that is, unless you're a lemon reader ^_~  Archangel_666 said it best. "There needs to be more sex." LOL, no seriously, the lemon was already planned and worked in, the address at which it can be found at is in my author profile ^_^ (since I couldn't seem to get the URL to show up in this document for some reason -_-)

I'm sorry to have to it on another site :( if only FFN still allowed NC-17 material. There's also going to be an omake following this chapter- I just couldn't resist making fun of myself. ;p

I'd like to take time to send a special thank you to the girls at LoveReflection, Stefy especially, for reading this when it was the raw, spontaneous, unrefined mess that it started out as (can't say it got much better, but y'know ;p) and still laughing your heads off. Every time I heard that one of my stupid jokes made your day, that made *my* day. ^_^ You guys are, to put it simply, the best.

And to everyone who read, thank you so much. Melissa-Malfoy, Sai Hikaru, Kuno-baby, Archangel_666, Dragonrose (*the* number one Elvis fan ^_~), Kiyoko, dracoinfinity, animechick2487, Ami N Aya, Symee_sama, Tumbleweed, FieryQueen86, and Cinpii thank you *so* much for your wonderful reviews, and your patience. I was so happy to see I had people that liked the story so much they came back to read more ^_^ You guys really went the extra mile, and I seriously appreciate it. ^_^ ::big bear hugs::

Okay okay, I know what your thinking, time for Lauren to shut up LOL. She's acting like she won an Emmy, not finishing a fanfic. SO- with as little babble as possible (this is me though- don't get your hopes up ;p) I give you- CHAPTER 7! (dun dun dun)  

****

**_~Bound~_**

Chapter Seven 

"I won't go

I won't sleep

I can't breath,

Until you're resting here with me.

I won't leave

And I can't hide

I cannot be

Until you're resting here with me…"

-Here with Me by Dido

Relena slammed the door to her office, heaving a harsh breath. God, that had been harder than she expected.

"Miss President, I'm here for your temporary guard." The unexpected  voice made her heart jump.

She jerked her gaze up to meet the cool green of Trowa's. "Trowa? You're my temp guard? I don't understand- I just told Une about my request for Heero's reassignment an hour ago."

"I appointed myself. I know Lady Une would approve." 

Relena gave a vague nod before crossing the room to thump in her chair. Casting the stacks of papers clogging her desk a disgusted glance, she let her head drop to her desktop. Exhaling a weary breath, she allowed herself a few moments to wallow.

"Have you spoken to Heero yet?" She heard Trowa ask, his voice suggesting that he was standing somewhere behind her- just like Heero used to do.

"No." She bit out, squeezing her eyes shut against the pang of grief. "And I don't want to either."

"I think you should give him a chance to apologize-" Trowa began, but Relena cut him off.

"Not you too- I just heard that exact same thing from your girlfriend."

Trowa smiled despite himself. "Lady Une has always had a remarkable capacity for dispensing practical advice. Treize didn't trust her so completely for nothing, you know. You should listen to it. Give Heero at least the benefit of an explanation."

"I've given him six years. I don't know how much time a person like Heero needs, but I *do* know how much time I'm capable of giving. He missed his chance. It wasn't just that incident that made up my mind about him, Trowa. Now if you don't mind, I need review some proposals." 

Trowa remained silent as Relena reached for the first paper on the stack, watching her intently as she mentally steeled herself for what promised to be a very harrowing day.

~*~

_"Duo, I'd tell you how stupid that idea was, but I'm currently in speechless awe of the untapped depths of your stupidity."_

_"I'm touched, Heero."_

_"Obviously."_

_"Just trust me, man. I *know* it sounds a little off the wall, but it's feasible. We just need 'the Fei's' cooperation._

_"Duo, the idea is not only off the wall, it willingly jumped from said wall and it can't get up! And, I didn't think I'd *ever* have to have this conversation with you, but I am not James Bond!"_

_"Ya kinda look like him…I mean…you obviously don't *dress* like him, but you've kinda got that mysterious danger about you."_

_"There *is* no mystery! Or danger for that matter! I'm a full time member of the Preventers. I'm private bodyguard to the President of the Earth Sphere Unified Nation. "_

_"Former bodyguard." Duo corrected._

_"The point is, do I *look* like I'm about to suddenly sprout a suaveness I don't possess and go sip martini's?" _

_"It could happen."_

_"No, it couldn't. The plan is dumb, I'm not doing it, the end."_

_"Well, you got any better ideas?"_

_"…"_

_"Didn't think so."_

"Let me *try* and talk to Relena first. Maybe I can resolve things with her before having to resort to…that…"

Heero sighed. He had just had that conversation with Duo two nights ago, but it had seemed like ages. The fact of the matter was, getting in to see Relena was easier said than done. Even members of the Preventers could only get close to her if they happened to brush shoulders in the halls of Headquarters. The only people to see her on a daily basis were her private guard detail, her secretary, and Lady Une. 

He raked a hand through his chocolate colored mane in exasperation. So how the hell was *he* supposed to get to her? And manage to evade security long enough to have a conversation for that matter. He leaned back against the rough brick of the security gate surrounding Relena's main office building, the soothing warmth of the wall feeling good against his tense shoulders. 

God or some other un-named deity or force must have been having a good day (or be prone to pity), because an unexpected solution to the dilemma Heero found himself in appeared suddenly, in the form of the presidential limo. It pulled up to the very curb Heero had been staring at, and stopped, obviously intending to drop off its' passenger. He started as Relena stepped out of the car, smoothing her business skirt. She leaned over to the driver's side window, talking softly to her chauffer.

"Thanks for dropping me off by the front gates. This should be quick so I'll see you at home in about an hour. Bye, Pagan."

Heero moved to walk forward, a plan forming in his head. He would just take Relena by the elbow and lead her to somewhere they could talk- simple, easy. Almost…*too* easy.

Without ceremony, Trowa emerged from the other door, his cool gaze momentarily sweeping over the opposite end of the street from Relena. 

Heero's eyes narrowed dangerously. It was bad enough that Trowa had dangled that key in front of Heero's face and then socked him in the gut when Heero tried to retrieve it. It was even worse that he had been a main contributing factor to the anger that fueled Heero's unusually reckless mouth- said mouth being the whole reason he was stuck in these unfavorable circumstances. But it was beyond insufferable that Trowa willingly took his job… *his job*! A man can only bear so much- and Heero had reached his limit. 

The limo drove away, leaving Trowa and Relena standing at the curb. Heero stalked up to the taller man, his stance radiating fury.

"Heero!" Trowa exclaimed, turning to face Wing's former pilot.

Heero drew back his fist and struck, his knuckles cleanly connecting with Trowa's jaw. The taller man's head flew back, the attack clearly unanticipated.

"Heero!" Relena gasped, putting herself between Trowa and her former bodyguard, pushing slightly on Heero's chest to get him to back away. "What are you *doing*!?"

"Relena, we need to talk." Heero's dismissed Trowa almost instantly, instead turning that piercing blue stare on her.

"I'll chalk that one up to karma." Trowa mused, having recovered from the blow, a hand lightly touching the place Heero had punched him. He winced slightly. 

"Trowa, we need to get you some ice." Relena's concern was evident in her voice.

Trowa shook his head. "I think you should speak to Heero first, Ms. President." 

Heero's angry expression slipped a bit as he shot a mildly surprised look at Relena's new bodyguard. 

Relena threw Heero a cold glare before turning her head away. "I refuse. There's nothing left to say."

"Relena, if you'd just listen to me for a minute, I can explain-" Heero was cut short by Trowa's voice.

"In that case, Ms. President, allow me a moment with him. I'll meet you inside."

Relena hesitated before nodding her consent. Leaving the pair she walked leisurely to the entrance, her hair swaying slightly in the breeze. Her distance, coming from someone once so familiar made Heero's chest ache dully as he watched that honey colored hair dance on the wind.

Trowa cleared his throat, jerking Heero's attention back to him.

"What do you want? Need to gloat a bit?" There was a hint of sullen resentment under Heero's flat tone.

Trowa's one visible eye regarded the Japanese man seriously. "I never wanted this for you, Heero." He insisted.

"That's funny. You don't seem particularly apologetic." The comment was out of Heero's mouth before he even realized he had said it. 

"Why should I be? It was your own fault this happened." Trowa's green gaze narrowed. "Try and pin this on others, Heero. In the end, it was you pushing her away all these years. No one else- not even Dr. J who so perfectly severed your heart- can be blamed for that." 

Heero inhaled sharply, the words more effective than a punch to the gut. Slowly, he lowered his head, his hand clenching at his side. "I know…I…I drove her away myself. I don't know what's gotten into me lately. Pardon my actions. They were rash." 

A wry smile transformed Trowa's once stern face. "Don't beat yourself up. No one's flawless. Not even the Perfect Soldier." 

Heero smiled painfully at that. "No, I guess not. But Trowa- I must speak with her."

Trowa nodded. "I agree. Wait a little while, though. She's still angry- give her some time to settle down. Then try again."

Heero hesitated. "Duo had a plan…I was hoping I'd be able to speak to her today, so I would be able to avoid being subjected to it." He frowned.

Trowa had to laugh. "Do what Duo says Heero. He was surprisingly successful in his last endeavor."

"Or merely lucky."

"Either way, neither one would hurt your current situation."

Heero groaned. "You obviously haven't heard about what he's planning."

Trowa shook his head in amusement. "Just try it, Heero- we don't give Duo enough credit sometimes. And now, my friend, I must leave. But I have a feeling this new position will only be a temporary one."

Heero heaved a heavy sigh. "Thank you, Trowa. Guard her well for me."

The great banged-one nodded. "Of course." And with that he walked off in the same direction Relena had just minutes earlier.

Heero pulled out his cell phone as he watched him go, a wince settling over his features as he dialed a familiar number. 

"The Maxwell is in the house!" A familiar cry rung in Heero's ear.

"Duo…It's Heero."

"Heero, my man! What's the verdict?" 

Heero cast one desperate glance to the sky. 'I'll be regretting this one in the morning…'

"I'll do it."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

*One week later*

A mysterious figure was silhouetted against the giant orb of the moon, sleek and dangerous sinews of muscle wrapped in tight fitting leather and frail light. An edge of menace charged the atmosphere surrounding the enigma as its' cold blue eyes burned in the night. 

"Hey Heero!" Duo called up to his friend crouched on the perimeter wall surrounding the Presidential Estate in Brussels. 

"What?" The mysterious figure snapped.

"Get down here, man!"

Heaving a weary sigh, Heero leapt from his vigil, landing on the soft forest foliage below.

The moment he stood a strong beam of light shone on his person, clearly displaying the clothing he sported.

"They say a picture is worth a million words. This is at least ten times more valuable." Wufei smirked from behind the blinking red light of a camcorder.

Heero seethed. "Duo, you said no one would see me dressed in this ridiculous get-up!"

"Hey, it's the only way I could get Wufei to agree to let us get to the President! I tried everything! Money, favors, nude photos,-"

"Oh, Hilde would just *love* it when she found out you're distributing those." Heero snorted.

"The pictures *weren't* of Hilde." Wufei shuddered.

"But all he wanted was a commemorative souvenir of the blessed event." Duo finished.

"This will keep me amused on many a boring night, my friend." The commanding officer of the night shift guard flashed a sinister grin. He zoomed in, focusing on each item of Heero's attire in turn. He stopped when he reached the pants and shot Heero an amused look. "Those look a little tight…" 

"Don't look at me. *Duo* was the genius behind the "Mission Impossible" outfit."

"Hey!" Duo protested, "Chicks dig guys in tight leather."

"My spandex was easier to move in and just as tight." Heero argued.

"Heero…you don't understand…that's *spandex*. *This* is leather."

Heero rolled his eyes. "Whatever. So I take it I have the all clear to proceed with the mission?" He raised an inquisitive eyebrow at Wufei.

Wufei turned away. "I've got what I came for. I won't alert security, but the rest is up to you. Good luck."

Heero nodded as he scaled the wall. 

Leather was cursed, wedgies were had.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Heero skulked through the expansive gardens of the Brussels Presidential Estate. He was a master in his element- dedicating insane amounts of time to studying the geography and layout of the mansion, he knew it almost as well as he knew the Peacecraft property. Every detail, down to the last door and alcove was filed away for reference- there was no way they'd be able to detec-

Heero's thoughts were tragically cut short as he tripped over a loose cobblestone, stumbled and landed face first on the stone path. He grunted and froze, waiting for someone to hear his fumble.

Minutes ticked by without any sirens or footsteps sounding in the empty gardens. Heero cautiously rose, puzzled, but pleased. Not taking his unexpected break for granted he crept stealthily to Relena's wing of the building, mentally rehearsing his speech as he went.

~*~Meanwhile in the main surveillance room~*~

"Did you hear something?" One of Wufei's subordinates looked up from the screen he had been staring at, glancing around curiously.

"Nah, one of the bystanders just dropped something by the camcorder microphone, O'Donnell." Wufei lied, hoping the young man would buy it. 

"Oh right. It sure was nice of you to bring in your 'Girls Gone Wild 7' tape, Sir." The blonde beamed a happy smile up to his superior before turning his attention back to the college girl pouring a margarita down her shirt.

"Yeah. No problem." Wufei muttered, a slight disgust welling up at the slack jawed, round-eyed expression his Preventers wore. 'You *owe* me, Yuy.'

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Relena cracked one eye open as she heard a window open and shut, careful footsteps muffled by lush carpet.

She tensed in her bed, her mind going blank. 'What should I do!? Shoot, I *knew* reassigning Heero was a bad idea.'

Reaching for her alarm clock she froze as she felt the figure come to a stop by her bed. Squeezing her eyes shut she yanked the cord from the wall and in one mighty swoop, brought the heavy ceramic clock down on her would-be assailants' head.

A familiar groan made her freeze in her second assault with her alarm.  "Heero!?" 

The young man rubbing his head glared up at her from beneath his spiky bangs, doing his best not to admire the way her silky nightgown clung to her all-too-familiar curves. "You have no idea how difficult it was to get in here."

Relena sniffed and turned her back to her former bodyguard. "Can't say I'm sorry. Get out, Heero. I've said all I needed to say to you."

"Yes," Heero agreed, "*you* have. I, however, still need to clarify a few things."

Relena shot him a dirty look. "I think you were pretty clear last time I talked to you."

Heero shook his head. "No, that's just the thing. I *wasn't*."

"Okay, *now* I would say that you're having clarity problems."

"Relena, please, just let me explain myself." Heero pleaded. Relena's face settled into a suspicious frown as she blinked her sleep-clouded eyes. Heero never asked, much less *pleaded*. She sighed and glanced at her alarm clock out of habit before realizing it wasn't there because she had clobbered Heero over the head with it. 

Well, he *had* come all this way. And gone through all that trouble. And still wanted to talk even though she had attacked him. Weighing the consequences of each outcome she arrived at her decision with a swift conviction. 

"Get out." She ordered, turning her nose up in the air.

Heero started. He had been certain his humility tactic would be successful. An error on his part, to underestimate a woman scorned. He was now up the creek without a paddle. When in doubt, act like you're not.

 "Relena, I'm not leaving."

"You better, or I'll have to call security. You don't want to be thrown out by your own people, Heero. Please, leave before I have to embarrass you." Relena said with a little sadness, but mostly frigid, well-schooled indifference.

Indifference *he* had taught her, he realized with a pang.  She sighed before rising, making her way to the red panic button located by her light switch. His mind worked furiously, trying to think of someway to stop her from calling security, and the humiliation that would come with his failure…humiliation???

"Don't touch that button." Heero warned, his voice darkening with the intent to intimidate.

Relena whirled around in anger. "You've got some nerve. After all you've done, even going so far as to *break into my room*, you still think you can tell me what to do? I've removed you from the picture Heero- you are no longer part of my life. You have no right to come charging in here, demanding I hear you out."

Heero winced, a thin smile touching his lips. "You're right, but I'm a desperate man, Relena. I have no choice but to use unfair methods. If you call security- I'll tell the media about your secret boy band obsession."

Relena gasped in outrage. "You *wouldn't*." 

"I would. Along with your late night ice cream binges, and just exactly *how* many books in your library marked "political science" are actually romance novels- and I won't stop there, either. I'll make sure to mention how many are the *lewd* kind as well." 

Relena glared, and Heero's smile turned smug. "Bodyguards always know the deep dark secrets."

She plopped down on the bed, and crossed her arms over her chest. "You have five minutes." She informed him coolly, using the clock on her wall as a reference.  

Relief flooded Heero as he rose from the floor, sitting next to Relena on the bed. Finally, it was time to recite his well-rehearsed speech. Hours had been poured into the speech, as he carefully considered each sentence, mentally weighing the impact of every word. He had practiced several times in front of a mirror, to make absolutely certain his timing and rhythm were flawless. Finally, after a week, he was confidant he would be able to pull it off without a hitch. He knew it like the back of his own hand. He opened his mouth to begin- and drew a blank. Apparently, Heero didn't know the back of his hand very well. 

He searched the recesses of his brain, straining for an inkling of the perfected prose that had resided in his brain just minutes earlier. Try as he might, the speech had flown out of his memory. No amount of clever improvisation would get him through this. Seconds ticked by, their heavy clicking like a death toll.

"Well? Are you going to say anything or not?" Relena frowned.

"I had a speech." Heero assured her. "I rehearsed it several times. But I don't seem to remember it…I don't even know where to start…"

Relena spared him a glance, intending to crack a smart remark. But he looked so lost and helpless, she couldn't help but want reach out to him, even if it might burn her in the end. She warred with herself for the barest instant before giving in to the urge. Sighing heavily, she laid a gentle hand on his shoulder and spoke in hushed tones. "How about the beginning, Heero?" 

He glanced at her and she gave him an encouraging smile.

"Alright." He said, gathering his thoughts. "Ever since I met you, I knew you were…different. I couldn't kill you. That's never happened to me before. I kept seeing you- when I woke up after I self-destructed, after the ZERO System tricked me into fighting Quatre… during the battle at Sanq when Epyon was driving me mad." He swallowed, slowly piecing together his sentences- not from the vague wisps of his perfected sermon, but from his own racing thoughts. "I had no control concerning you- no power over my emotions or what I was thinking. I ran away from you, in an attempt to escape that feeling."

Relena blinked, suddenly gaining a great insight into many of Heero's actions. He had been afraid. 

"It was the same thing when I found you handcuffed to me that morning. I felt like I had lost all my control. I…I tried to distance myself from you. I didn't want to be forced to come to terms with my feelings for you.  I didn't want to accept that I might…care about you."

"Heero…" Relena breathed, his honesty stealing her words.

He spoke now in a rush, the awkwardness he had felt earlier dissolving as his explanations came pouring out.

"So, I resisted again. You said I was mad at you- I wasn't. I was angry at myself, not you. I was unable to handle the situation the way I wanted to. I blamed it on everyone but myself- Duo, Elvis, Howard. And I believed myself. But then when you said you never wanted to see me again, I…I knew that I had been hiding…"

Relena's heart pounded furiously, his words making her dizzy with their implications and emotion. 

He pulled something out of his pocket and pressed it into Relena's hands.

"The handcuffs?" Relena asked, looking down in surprise. "But I thought they had to cut them off of your wrist?"

Heero looked down at the small silver circles fondly. "I had Howard fix my lock. He had to actually pick it with special tools, to get it off my wrist. It took a long time." 

"But…why?"

Heero placed his larger, tan hands over the cuffs in Relena's small, pale ones. 

"They made me realize something very important." His eyes bore into hers, intensely blue, gazing into her depths as effectively as any X-ray might.

Her voice was a mere whisper. "What did they make you realize?"

He slid his hands downward, over the cuffs until he was cupping her own hands, his calloused fingertips lightly stroking the tendons there.

His voice was gruff as he spoke. "That I was inexorably bound to you, and have been since the day I met you. The cuffs- they were only a physical manifestation of that. And because of these, I realized…I realized that, I love you. Relena, I'm sorry for everything I've put you through. Please, forgive me." 

He chanced a look at her face, and found astonishment written all over it. A tear slipped down her cheek before she smiled, and Heero felt his body relax under the brilliance of it. "You ran over your five minutes. But I think it was worth it." 

Suddenly, she smacked both palms against his chest, sending Heero flying backwards onto the bed, haphazardly sprawled out amongst her pillows and blankets. She was quick to follow him, straddling his waist without hesitation. Pinning his arms above his head, she looked down at him.

"I'll forgive you, Heero, but only on one condition." A playful grin teased the corners of her mouth.

Heero, slightly disoriented, looked up at her in confusion. "What's the condition?" 

The grin turned seductive as she leaned in close and captured his mouth in a slow, wet kiss, making him dizzy with longing. He began to participate eagerly, his world narrowing to the woman on top of him. He noted her lips curling into a smile against his before he heard a faint "click".

He broke off the kiss and realized the click had come from the handcuffs being closed loosely over his wrists. He followed the length of the chain connecting the two bands, noting that she had looped it around the bars of the headboard, effectively restraining him. He once again looked at her, not quite comprehending her actions.

The grin was back, sly and mischievous. "My condition: I get to be on top."

"What!?"

"Leather does interesting things to your butt, Yuy."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

AN: Ta dah! The end! If you're a lemon reader, you know where to go ^_~ There's also an omake following this chapter, so we're not *completely* all Bounded out, but as far as plot, the story ends here. ::waves:: Thanks for reading, thanks for the comments, and thanks for making this a wonderful writing experience. ^_^ I've had way more fun that is allowed with this story, and I hope I managed to give some of it back to you readers.  

The Soundtrack

Shinobi vs. the Dragon Ninja by Lost Prophets

Let Me Go by Cake

Glycerine by Bush

Here With Me by Dido


End file.
